


I Put A Spell On You (and now you're mine)

by Sdktrs12



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Halloween, Hauntober, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Season/Series 03, Tumblr Prompts, fall - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:22:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 32,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26753524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sdktrs12/pseuds/Sdktrs12
Summary: 31 Days of Hauntober(A ficlet for every prompt from the #Hauntober Prompt list for October.)
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 442
Kudos: 579





	1. Day 1 Prompt - Pumpkin

**Author's Note:**

> I'm obsessed with Halloween and Brio (obviously) so I've decided to challenge myself to write a ficlet for every [Hauntober Prompt](https://sdktrs12.tumblr.com/post/630697454296301568/fandom-its-almost-october-which-means-its) over on Tumblr (sdktrs12).  
> These are post season 3 canon compliant and will be loosely connected.  
> I will be cross posting them here!

“Kenny! Help, don’t hinder!” Beth calls out as a reminder to her oldest, who is currently ignoring his younger sisters pleas for help as they struggle with a giant pumpkin in favor of scrolling through his new cell phone. Beth’s been regretting that particular purchase for the past week. Of course, it’s not like she’d really been consulted—Dean having bought it for him without a word when he’d taken them to his moms last weekend, catching Beth completely off guard when he’d come home with it after. 

There had been an argument, of course, but Dean had worn her down, pointing out that Kenny was already attached and besides, wasn’t he getting to that age to need one anyway? 

Beth had walked away without another word but had immediately set some ground rules as to the phones use. 

He wasn’t supposed to have it on family outings for example, but they were meeting Annie and Ruby and their brood and Kenny had insisted Sara and Ben would both have _theirs_ and also shouldn’t he be allowed to document this quality family time with pictures? 

Beth’s eyes had practically rolled into the back of her head, but she had relented.

Except Kenny’s using his phone to record his sisters struggle now and Beth lets out a sigh, opening her mouth to yell again when she sees a little dark haired boy dart past her through the pumpkin patch, making a beeline to where her kids, and more specifically _Jane_ , are. 

And she freezes as she realizes who it is—right before all of her senses are drowning in... _him_.

Before she even sees him, she _feels_ that charged static that’s always surrounding him in the air, that fresh warm just laundered smell that is distinctly him, and his low husky voice, “Listen to your mama, Kenny” calling out before he’s materializing right by her side. 

Kenny straightens up, quickly pocketing his phone as he eyes Rio, who continues to watch him until Kenny reaches out to help the girls. 

Beth doesn’t stop her eyes from rolling so far back this time. 

“What are you doing here?” She asks quietly, folding her arms across her chest as her gaze flits briefly his way before going back to the kids—to Jane and Marcus. 

It’s a warmer day today, the breeze chilly but slight, and it doesn’t seem to bother him enough to wear one of hoodies, dressed in just a t-shirt and jeans. 

And honestly, he shouldn’t look so good in something so _simple_ , but he _does_ , and it _annoys_ her. 

“Pickin’ out a pumpkin.” He answers, gesturing out toward the patch, the ‘ _obviously_ ’ unspoken, but loud and clear in his sarcastic and pointed words. 

“At this particular one?” She asks, letting her own annoyance and accusation bleed out into her words. 

Rio huffs out a laugh next to her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he rocks back on his heels. “I know this will be hard for you to believe Elizabeth, but not everything revolves around you.” 

And she drops her arms then, ready to snap back at him, but her eyes catch on the kids again. Danny and Emma have moved on, but Marcus and Jane help Kenny pick up the giant pumpkin and maneuver it into the wagon a few feet away. Kenny’s doing all the heavy lifting and it’s a bit awkward between the three of them and she can tell there’s some bickering going on, but he’s putting on a pretty decent show for the smaller ones helping him, and Beth softens. 

“Well, that one is ours.” Beth finally decides on instead, willing herself to just... _let it go_ as she forces her body to relax and she can see Rio roll his shoulders back next to her, as he follows her cue and does the same. 

“Don’t know about all that, ma. Think Marcus did most of the work there.”

“You literally just got here. We’ve been scouting this area all morning.” She sniffs, narrowing her eyes as she lifts her chin and Rio bites back a smile, his eyebrows furrowing as he contemplates her with faux seriousness. “Damn, you take this holiday that serious huh?” 

“I take _all_ holidays that serious.”

“Yeah you seem like one o’ those types. Betchu got all them costumes lined up and ready to go, yeah?” 

“Of course I do, it’s _October_.” She scoffs, feeling the little shake of her head before she even does it, the way her nose scrunches up at the audacity he has in his accusation—like it’s a bad thing that she’s had her kids costumes ready when Halloween is practically right around the corner. 

“Yeah, but you had ‘em ready since what? July?” 

And— _okay_ , so whatever—so _what_ if she’s had them ready since the summer? That’s when all the good sales ran for fabric and she’s not going to be embarrassed or apologize for scoring a good deal and turning it into some pretty _fan-fucking-tastic_ costumes. 

But she can feel the heat kiss her cheeks regardless, the flush creeping down and spreading out across her chest and she bristles as she feels his eyes drop and he smirks. 

“And I suppose you’re one of those who waits until the last minute cause you’re just too cool?” 

“Aw, you think I’m cool, mama?” 

“Oh my god, _shut up_.” 

He tilts his head back and laughs and Beth sucks her lower lip into her mouth, teeth sinking in sharply, as her eyes flit over his face, unable to decide what to stop and focus on first, instead trying to memorize and absorb as much detail as possible. 

The way the sunlight glints off his cheekbones. The sharp angle of his jawline. His stupid perfect teeth and lush lower lip. The crinkles at the corners of his eyes. The way his shoulders shake and his arms flex with the movement. 

Knows _this_ will be the thing she’ll unpack from that place she stores all the breakable moments between them that belong just to her, the fragile little pieces that have to be tucked away and accessible only to her, her touch the only one able to navigate without wounding or being wounded, like so many others— _this_ will be the exact moment she replays later, when she’s alone. 

There’s a loud commotion off in the distance behind them and they both turn to look and see, and Beth’s heart actually drops slightly when she sees the small group causing it. 

Her sister and Ruby are wrangling their kids out of their cars and Beth turns back to Rio, whose gaze is already fixed on her. 

She can feel the moment tearing at the seams, ending abruptly and he seems to sense the same, the corners of his mouth twitching up as he cocks his head to the side. 

“We’ll let you keep that one.” He says, stepping closer to reach up and tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “See you.” 

“See you.” She replies faintly as she watches him jog away, saying something to Kenny, who grins back at him, as he pulls away a reluctant Marcus. 

And then the rest of the group descends upon them and Beth lets herself be pulled away from Rio’s calm storm and into their chaos.


	2. Day 2 Prompt - Leaves

Even with the sun beating down on the back of her exposed neck, goosebumps erupt over Beth’s arms as the chilly wind whips through once more and nips at the thin sheen of sweat on her skin, causing a shiver to run down her spine. She groans as she stills the rake in her hands, straightening up and letting out a giant puff of air that flutters the hair that’s come loose from her ponytail and is now framing her face.

She should just quit—the wind has been coming through and undoing her work for the better part of the afternoon, but she’s been powering through, fueled by irritation and just plain _spite_ , that admittedly seems to be waning. 

When Dean had come by to pick up the kids earlier, he’d made a remark about the backyard and how unkempt it was starting to look, hinting at (not for the first time) Beth’s inabilities to handle “the man’s” part of the housework in that condescending tone he reserved just for her. 

She knows he’s still grasping at straws, still resisting this slow transition they’ve been making to separate, and Beth can admit it hasn’t been the most comfortable time for her either.

But his comments had pricked at her nerves, making her feel hot and itchy, like she needed to crawl out of her skin. It had been easy enough to fall back into the familiar stepford act, plastering on a blank smile and sweetly promising to let him know if she needed his help, waving calmly and pleasantly as he’d backed out of the driveway, before she’d immediately gotten to work—grabbing the rake and several hefty bags to frantically start in on the leaves, cussing and sweating up a storm along the way.

She looks around the yard now, letting herself just...marvel in the vivid colors of the leaves—the yellows that give way to the oranges that bleed into the reds. 

She lets her eyes drift closed, eyelashes fluttering briefly against her skin before settling and just...breathes in the crisp fresh air as she tilts her head back, the sun’s warmth kissing her eyelids, her cheeks, the breeze once again ghosting along the back of her neck...

“Hey, now.” 

Beth lets out a loud gasp as her eyes snap open and she whirls around, grip tightening on the rake as she automatically brings it up and out in front of her defensively and god—she _knows_ who it is as soon as the words wash over her but _still_...

“What is _wrong_ with you?” She snaps, jabbing the rake handle in the air to punctuate each word and Rio eyes it as he makes a big production out of lifting his hands up in the air in mock surrender, approaching her slowly even as he grins. 

“What exactly you plannin’ on doin’ with that?” He asks, voice filled with laughter as he slows to a stop just out of reach of the handle, and Beth glares at him, barely resisting the urge to jab him in the chest with it—remembering the _last_ time she’d done damage to that area. 

“Don’t you ever call or text before just dropping by?” 

“Yeah, I tried, don’t you ever answer?” 

Beth’s eyes narrow as she reaches one hand around to her back pocket, ready to yank her phone out and wave it in his face...only to come up empty. 

Well, shit. 

Beth purses her lips as she drops her hand back down to her side and Rio smirks, hands shoved in hoodie pockets as he rocks back on his heels, and she has a sense of déjà vu so strong, it makes her dizzy. 

“Whatchu doin’ out here rakin’ up all these leaves on your own anyway? Hubby ain’t around to help?” 

Beth rolls her eyes as she finally lowers the rake, bringing it back up to her side, stabbing the prongs against the soft ground and leaning into it. “I’m fully capable of raking leaves on my own.” 

“Yeah, I can see that.” He remarks, eyeing the surrounding mess critically, and she straightens up, automatically on the defensive. “But you shouldn't have to do everything on your own, mama.” 

And— _that_ tugs sharply at something in her chest, and her eyes drop as she kicks at a stray pile of leaves with her tennis shoes, trapping one underneath and grinding it into the dead grass and soft dirt underneath, concentrating everything she has on the crunching noise it makes as words she doesn’t mean to let go spill out of her mouth. “Yeah, well, pretty soon I will be on my own so...” She shrugs her shoulder half heartedly then, feeling _just_ this side of masochistic enough to glance up and catch his reaction. 

He’s gone perfectly still—but his right hand twitches, fingers flexing _just so_ , the sun glinting off the rings there. He makes no other movement though, doesn’t utter a word, like he’s worried about how she’ll react if he does. 

Beth clears her throat, turning away from him to bend down and grab one of the oversized trash bags. 

“Why are you here?” She hurriedly asks, anxious to change the subject before he can. She fiddles with the trash bag awkwardly, unsure of the best way to get the leaves from point A to point B and _fuck_ —maybe she should’ve just let Dean handle this shit one last time. 

He finally moves then, stepping around her to hop up onto the picnic table and she’s not sure she likes the fact that he’s making himself comfortable. 

“Drop schedules changed—”

“ _Again_?” 

“Been upped and gonna need it by next week.” 

Beth’s mouth drops open as the hand with the trash bag in it falls limply at her side. 

“By twenty.” He adds casually, like an afterthought, and Beth considers using the trash bag to suffocate him instead, wonders if she’d be able to move the body on her own... 

He _is_ pretty skinny—

“Elizabeth.” 

Beth jerks out of her murderous daydream, mouth snapping shut as she drops the trash bag before she can do anything stupid with it, hands going to rest on her hips instead. 

“Are you kidding me?” She grits out and he shakes his head slowly, completely unphased by the fact that she’s staring daggers at his stupid perfect face.

“Well, I’m sorry, but no, that’s not going to be possible.” She huffs out, mind already working in overdrive, and he just nods slowly again like he expected that kind of response and it makes her irrationally angry. 

“It is what it is. I don’t make the rules.”

“Oh? Don’t you?”

Because it sure the hell seemed like he had a lot of rules when it came to her. 

He pushes himself off the picnic table and walks toward her slowly and her body sways closer, like a magnet, and her hand comes up to nervously tuck her hair behind her ears, her tongue darting out to wet her lips and his eyes follow it’s path. 

“Shit happens. We’ll handle it, ma.” He says and she hates how the ‘we’ soothes her a little, makes her more reluctant to...to _fight_ him. 

“Why don’t you take a break.” He reaches up to swipe a thumb over her brow and then her chin dimple and she can’t help leaning into his touch. “Take a soak in that big ol’ tub of yours. Can even join you, if ya want. Make sure you’re getting that full body spa experience.” 

Beth huffs out a laugh, rolling her eyes even as her skin flushes again. “Don’t tell me what to do.” She says, even though a bath _does_ sound insanely nice right about now.

He shrugs his shoulders with a chuckle, a half hearted ‘at least I tried gesture’, and then he’s turning and walking away, looking back over his shoulder just as he reaches the fence encasing the yard, and she’s still there, watching him go. 

She sets the rake against the picnic table and heads inside, peeling off layers of clothing as she makes her way toward the bathroom. 

It’s not until after she’s taken a nice long soak (and so what if she’d added some extra bath salts and lit a few candles and helped herself to relieving some tension while imagining Rio there with her) that she heads back out into the backyard to collect the rake and bags, resigned to leaving the mess for another day, but she stops short just outside the double doors to the patio because...

There is no mess. 

The leaves and bags are completely gone and her eyes dart over to the picnic table where the rake was and it’s gone too and she bets if she looked, it’d be back in its place in the shed. 

Well—

_Fuck_.


	3. Day 3 Prompt - Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you for the kudos and the comments! I promise I will be responding to them when I get a chance, they are much appreciated!  
> The length of these fics will vary, as I'm trying to get better at writing shorter fic/one shots.  
> As always, thanks for indulging me and my many fic ideas!

Warm light streams in from the kitchen window above the sink, bathing them both in its early morning glow. 

Rio’s perched atop one of the kitchen island stools opposite her, and Beth leans her hip against the edge of the counter, wrapping her fingers around her mug and bringing it up to her lips, gently blowing on it, the wisps of steam flexing and separating, before taking a few small sips of her tea as she peeks at him over the rim. 

His own cup sits untouched in front of him and just—if he’s going to insist on stopping by so early in the morning and demanding tea, you’d think he would at least drink it before it got cold. 

But _no_ , he’s tapping out something on his phone, and jesus—isn’t he always? What exactly was so important that he constantly needed his phone in hand? A text or an email or a disgruntled yelp review? 

That last thought makes her nose scrunch up and a quiet laugh escapes before she can stop it. 

And she thinks, _hopes_ , maybe it was quiet enough that he hadn’t heard, because he keeps right on moving his fingers across the screen, but—

“What’s so funny?” 

He doesn’t look up or stop what he’s doing when he asks and she rolls her eyes and by the way the corner of his mouth twitches up, she thinks he’s caught that too. 

“Nothing. You should drink your tea before it gets cold.” She instructs automatically, like he’s one of her kids (or _Dean_ ), and then immediately flushes, a tad embarrassed and _of course_ that’s when he decides to finally look up, eyebrow raised. 

She shrugs her shoulder, bringing her mug back up to her lips and taking another sip, not trusting her mouth enough to _not_ dig herself deeper, and he finally reaches for his cup, dutifully taking a drink as he watches her watch him and she pulls her drink back slightly, a smile tugging at her lips. She lowers the mug, setting it down gently on the island as she shifts on her feet. 

“So, everything worked out with the drop?” She asks as nonchalantly as possible, still curious as to why the hell it’d had to be changed and upped to begin with, but not wanting to push hard enough to have him immediately shut her down. 

He sets his drink down and goes right back to his phone. “Yup.” 

She waits a beat, stupidly holding out hope that he’ll actually elaborate, so when he _doesn’t_ , she lets an irritated sigh slip out and he actually has the nerve to _laugh_.

“You know, I think things would run a lot smoother if you would tell me literally anything about _literally anything_.” She points out, her grip tightening on the mug hard enough that her fingers start to hurt. 

He hums in agreement, which just—

“You are incredibly annoying.” She adds before forcing her grip to loosen as she brings the mug back up to her lips to finish off her tea. 

He nods, grinning as he continues to swipe through his phone and Beth turns away, towards the sink, pulling up on the faucet handle a lot harder than necessary, trying to push it further than it can go and it jerks to a stop as a large stream of water comes gushing out and she gasps lightly before quickly adjusting it, refusing to look back at him. 

She rinses out her mug and her eyes catch out into the backyard and she falters a little as she remembers him stopping by...

Offering to join her in a bath...

The backyard completely taken care of when she’d come back out...

He hasn’t brought it up so neither has she, and she wonders if this will be like Jane’s dubby. 

These little... _things_ he does for her, each piece building like a dam between them, something that’s always just— _felt_ and never spoken, keeping them apart just as much as it ties them together. 

She wonders what will happen when it all finally breaks. 

Remembers the last time something had broken between them. 

“’Ey.” 

Beth startles a little, realizing she’s been standing in front of the sink with the water running as the mug hangs loosely from her fingers. She sets it down and turns the water off, grabbing a dish towel to dry her hands on as she turns around. 

Rio’s standing up, bringing his drink with him as he makes his way around the island and sidles up next to her at the sink. 

He’s quietly looking out over the yard now and she wonders if he’s thinking about— _it_ too. 

“The drop? You did good. Don’t need to stress about all the extras.” 

Beth rolls her eyes as she folds her arms across her chest and he shakes his head as he rinses his cup out in the sink. “What I tell you? You gotta relax, ma.” He reaches over and takes the dish towel out of her hand to dry his. 

“Yeah? So, what? I should go and take another bath now?” She snaps, annoyed and she instantly knows that was the wrong thing to bring up when he smirks and leans in close. 

“Only if I get to join you this time.” 

“You are so annoying.” She reiterates her earlier statement as her eyes drop down to his mouth and he nods agreeably, and she really does _hate_ when he does that. 

“That’s not a no.” 

“No, it’s not.” She agrees, looking up at him through her lashes, wondering how long they can skirt this line between them, how long they can dance around its invisible barrier before one of them trips and falls and takes the other down with them. 

Rio’s phone starts vibrating on the island countertop and Beth jerks back a little as they both turn toward the noise. 

He folds the dish towel back up and drops it by the sink before heading back around the island and grabbing his phone. He lets out an aggravated sigh before looking back up at her and she gives him a slight nod. 

“I’ll see you.” He says before turning away and leaving. 

“See you.” She echoes out to an empty room.


	4. Day 4 Prompt - Candy Apples

Sometimes he likes to swing by later in the day, when the kids are just getting settled into bed and the house is quieting down. 

Most of the time they don’t interact, but on occasion one of the kids will come down and pop their head in and giggle out a “Hi” before running away. 

There’s always a slew of emotions that come with those interactions, no matter how slight they are. 

They don’t shy away from him and he doesn’t blink an eye when it comes to them and really, he’s a parent too, so why should she expect any less? 

It had been the same with her and...and _Marcus_.

She wonders if any residual anger still courses through his veins when her and his son are in the same space together. 

They never talk about it (of course they never talk about it) and she wonders if there will ever be a time when these interactions will just...be. 

(And does she even really want that?) 

Tonight is one of those nights where he drops by as the sun is setting and the sky is erupting in dusky pinks and oranges and purples and Kenny is just walking out of the kitchen after getting one last glass of water before bed just as Rio walks in. 

Kenny greets him a little nervously, but mostly plays it cool and Beth has to bite back a smile as Rio gives him a little head nod before he darts off and up the stairs. 

She raises an eyebrow as he settles into a stool across from her and he rolls his shoulders back as he brings his hands down and laces his fingers together in front of him. “He’s a good kid.” 

Beth hums in agreement, more pleased than she’d ever admit out loud to hear him say that, even though sometimes she has her doubts. Can see bits and pieces of Dean peeking out of him.

“Whatchu doin’?” He asks, brows knitting together as he watches her flit around the kitchen. 

“The PTA’s raffling off a gift basket and I volunteered to help fill it with some treats.” She answers, but her mind is still on Kenny. On the last time she saw them interact. Her curiosity gets the better of her and the words are out of her mouth before she can stop them. “What did you say to Kenny? That day we were at the pumpkin patch?” She asks slowly, actively avoiding eye contact as she gathers up the materials she’ll need to make her candy apples. 

“Nothin’. Jus’ told ‘im to make sure he’s helpin’ out his mama.” He slides off the stool as he answers, rounding the island to hop up onto the counter next to where she’s sorting out her ingredients. And she’s almost positive that isn’t all of it, but she’s momentarily distracted by the fact that now he’s in her way, crowding her space, and she glares up at him as he just grins back down at her. 

She swears he does this crap on purpose with the specific intent to irritate her. 

_And it works_. 

She’s about to reprimand him, thinks briefly about just shoving him off the counter without a word, when he starts before she can even begin. “Don’t those things come already prepackaged at the store?” 

“Well—yes, but why would I _buy_ them when I can just _make_ them?” 

“Nuh mama, you got them two things backwards.” 

Beth rolls her eyes as she slides her baking sheet over and lines it with parchment paper. “ _Some_ of us don’t have money to burn left and right.” She snidely points out as she quickly butters the paper and then pushes it aside. 

“That’s funny cause I seem to remember hearin’ a lil story about you burnin’ plenty of money.” 

And that just—god damn Annie and her big mouth. A few shots and a couple of vaguely threatening looks from the King of Smoulder himself, and she was more than willing to spill all the details of their many mishaps. 

“ _The point is_ , I know how to make them, so I do. And this way I can make them any way I like.” 

Beth turns to the saucepan on the stovetop, dumping in the already measured out ingredients and turning the knob on to bring everything to a boil. 

While she waits, she turns back to the counter and starts prepping the apples—taking them over to the sink and cleaning them with the fruit and veggie spray before thoroughly rinsing them. 

She feels Rio’s eyes on her the whole time, quietly observing her from his spot on the counter and she wills herself not to let him fluster her. 

And she realizes then—

In these moments, when she’s busying herself in the kitchen with meals or projects for the kids, when she’s in an almost constant state of motion—in _these_ moments, his attention never strays from her. 

He’s _always_ watching her, in an almost unnerving way—like seeing her here, like _this_ , in her element...

It’s just as fascinating as it is for her to see him in _his_. 

The thought causes something in her chest to constrict almost painfully and she quickly pushes it aside. 

She moves back over to the stove after drying off the apples and turns the heat down, and then brings the apples back over to the counter. 

“Look, if you’re going to be here can you at least help?” She asks, and it doesn’t escape her that he hasn’t given an actual reason for being here and she hasn’t asked. She grabs up an apple and a wooden stick and holds them out to him and he grins, his fingers brushing against hers as he gently takes them from her hands. 

“Thank you.” She says quietly, then clears her throat before adding, “Just, shove it in there about halfway.” 

She freezes for a second after she says it and he huffs out a laugh as he shakes his head. “You know you make it too easy sometimes, right?” 

“Shut up.” 

They work in a companionable silence—after the mixture reaches the right temperature, Beth removes the pan from the heat and works quickly, dipping the apples in, coating them in the sugary concoction before handing them off to Rio, who rolls them around in the mini marshmallow and chocolate chip mixture she’d set out, before setting them out on the baking sheet to cool.

And she’s not sure if he registers it at the same time she does—just how... _domestic_ this has all been, but she can feel him withdrawing when it’s all done, ready to make his exit, disappearing just as quickly as he’d appeared. 

He’s halfway to the back door without a word and Beth panics a little, her eyes catching on the candy apples, and she calls out for him to wait, and he actually _does_ , and it takes her a minute to recover from _that_ , before she’s moving quickly, grabbing a clear cello bag out of one of the drawers and a candy apple off the sheet, cursing a little that it isn’t dry enough yet as she shoves it inside the bag as carefully as possible. 

She meets him by the door, holding the bag out, slightly shaky as she says, “For Marcus.” 

For a split second she thinks he won’t take it. 

Or worse, he will and throw it in the trash and she regrets every single decision that has led her to this exact moment right before he _does_ take it, and he _doesn’t_ throw it in the trash, offering her a small smile and his knuckles nudge her chin gently before he’s walking out the door with it and Beth is left standing alone, her heart feeling like it might beat right out of her chest.


	5. Day 5 Prompt - Moonlight

“So, have you given any more thought to the apartment plan? Or... _any_ plan?”

Dean let’s out a weary, defeated sigh, like she’s nagging him about completing some simple household chore instead of figuring out their family's living situation. 

It’s like pulling teeth him with. 

You’d think she was asking him to rip out his own spleen and sell it on the black market. 

Although, that wasn’t a half bad idea...

“ _You_ brought it up when we were talking about the divorce.” She gently reminds him through clenched teeth, and she’s been doing that so often that she swears her jaw starts to hurt whenever he’s even in the same room now.

He finally pulls his attention away from his phone, but he doesn’t look at her, instead focusing on a spot on the wall behind her and she feels like her jaw might actually snap. 

“I know. I just—we tabled all that discussion, right? I mean, I’m not crazy in thinking we had stepped back from making any rash decisions?” He says and Beth feels like banging her head against the wall, because here comes _this_ conversation _again_. 

All they do lately is talk in circles and she tries to remember the last time they actually had a straight conversation. 

A conversation that’s ended in any sort of actual resolution. 

And she’s fully aware she’s just as culpable, a part of the problem more than the solution, but _still_...

“Yes, but normally when you table a conversation, you intend to pick it back up at some point. I think we’ve reached that point.” 

“We need to be careful though, Bethie. With any new business there’s an adjustment period and it’s important to wait for things to settle before making any big financial decisions. I’ve been in this business my whole life, _I_ should know. The spas—”

“Have been selling well. And the books have been doing well. I should know since _I’ve_ been handling them. The adjustment period is over.” 

His mouth hangs open a little at her sharp tone and she’s seething inside because how dare he talk to her about making rash financial decisions, but she offers him a tight smile as she turns away, ready to end this conversation.

“You don’t know what the housing market is like out there—” He tries again, sounding a little desperate and it makes her cringe.

“I have a list of apartments ready in our price range, I can send them to you tomorrow.” 

She grabs Jane’s forgotten bag by the couch, which is his whole reason for being here in the first place, and turns around, holding it out for him to take. 

A clear dismissal. 

He gives her one last long look, which she pointedly ignores, before leaving. 

And it’s like a binding around her whole _being_ has been loosened when she hears the door close behind him, finally able to breathe again. 

She lets out a quiet sigh as the stillness of the house settles around her once more. 

This was the worst part. 

She heads to the kitchen, fully prepared to pull down a few glasses and some bottles of wine, her phone already in hand to text Annie and Ruby, when her gaze catches out on the backyard through the window above the sink and her breath hitches in her throat as her steps falter. 

She changes course then, grabbing the bottle of bourbon tucked away in the top cupboard and two tumblers and making her way to her bedroom, pausing briefly to consider the fact that she’s wearing a set of very thin white cotton pajamas that aren’t exactly suitable for the chilly fall night air, before quietly slipping out the double french doors and onto the patio.

The moon is full tonight, the biggest and brightest she’s ever seen it, and he’s settled on top of the picnic table, bathed in all of its natural light and she thinks... 

_God_ , she thinks that even after everything that’s happened between them, it’s _painful_ how the mere sight of him ignites every single one of her senses, setting her whole body on fire. 

And will that feeling ever go away?

( _God, she hopes not_.)

She’s paused just outside the doors, content to just...watch him for a moment, and he looks up from his phone and sees her and his eyes go wide for a split second as his lips part and...

_Fuck_.

She wonders if he’s feeling the same thing. 

She walks toward him slowly, glasses and bottle hanging loosely at her sides, feels that pull deep within her belly, couldn’t resist it even if she tried. 

Because as painful as it feels to be near him...

The lack of feeling when he’s gone is worse. 

She settles in next to him, feeling more than a little weird sitting on _top_ of the table, and he pockets his phone as she sets the glasses and the bottle down between them. 

Neither one says a word as he twists the cap off the bottle and pours them both a fingerful and Beth reaches over and takes it from his hand and adds some more and he huffs out a quiet laugh and she smiles and then shivers as the night air nips at her skin and he doesn’t hesitate when he slips off his hoodie and leans over, settling it across her shoulders, wrapping it around her body, before shifting back again and she just gapes at him as he takes a drink from his glass.

And she suddenly has the overwhelming need to ask him why he’s here, to ask him why he walked away that day in her kitchen, to ask him...

Just— _Why_? 

( _Why me_?) 

But they’ve been here before, and she doesn’t think the answer would change anything, at least not anything really important anyway, so she lets it go, pulling the hoodie a little tighter around her, sipping her bourbon as she tilts her head back to marvel at the sheer beauty and endless mystery of the moon—as he watches her and does the same. 


	6. Day 6 Prompt - Fog

“Can’t see shit in this.” Rio mutters underneath his breath and Beth _barely_ bites back an ‘I told you so’. 

As soon as they’d stepped foot outside of the warehouse, she’d suggested waiting out the heavy fog and cold mist that had rolled through while they were in their meeting, but he’d immediately shut her down, anxious to leave, the meeting having soured his mood. 

Now they’re out in the middle of nowhere with almost no visibility in either direction and she’s damp, cold, and irritated. Even with the heat cranked up all the way her whole body jerks as a chill runs through her and Rio’s grip on the wheel tightens as he glances over. 

“Hoodie’s in the back.” He points out and—yeah, she _knows_ , seeing as how she’s the reason it’s there to begin with. 

He hadn’t taken it with him when he’d left her that night in the backyard and she may or may not have been wearing it still as she’d slipped into bed once he was gone. 

When he’d popped by her house to drop this meeting on her, she’d made sure to grab it on her way out, worried if she didn’t return it now, she might just keep it forever. 

He’d thrown it in the back of the car without a word as soon as she’d handed it over and she’d almost just snatched it right back, because _rude_. 

But she doesn’t _want_ it again, had given it back to get it _away_ from her, but here he was offering it up yet again. 

“I’m _fine_.” She says, rubbing her hands over her exposed arms, because of course the one day she decides not to wear long sleeves...

“I could’ve dressed more appropriately if you’d given me a little warning.” She sniffs, lifting her chin, defiant and she hears him sigh. 

She glances at him out of the corner of her eye and she sees him lean forward a little, squinting hard out the windshield and _god_ , the urge to _say it_ —

“Don’t.” It’s short, clipped, his voice rough with annoyance and she flushes as she drops her chin, narrowing her eyes, really wanting to say it now just to _spite_ him. 

“Just...put the damn hoodie on.” He shifts in his seat, shoulders rolling back as he flexes his fingers against the steering wheel, and she can feel the speed of the car adjusting as he slows down. 

She weighs the pros and cons of starting a fight with him out in the middle of nowhere in a car that he’s currently driving in less than ideal conditions. 

Beth lets out a loud sigh as she unbuckles her seat belt and reaches into the back and she _swears_ she sees him smile. 

She jerks the hoodie out between the seats, smacking him in the face with one of the sleeves and his jaw rocks as he glares at her.

“Oops.” She says sweetly, pointedly not apologizing and he opens his mouth to say god knows what, but something darts out across the road in front of them, something very large and very quick, and Beth gasps as Rio curses and slams on the brakes. 

Her hands automatically fly out in front of her to brace herself as she’s thrown forward, but one of them is still tangled up in the hoodie and it skids off the dash right before her forehead smacks against it, hard enough that she sees stars, and then she feels Rio’s arm come out to wrap around her waist and yank her back. 

They’re both breathing heavily, slumped back in their seats, and Beth brings her hand up to tentatively prod at her temple, wincing as a sharp pain shoots through her head, registering a wet stickiness there before she pulls her hand away and sees blood.

She glances over at Rio, who’s watching her warily, and his eyes dart out the windows, taking everything in before carefully maneuvering the car as far off the road as possible before throwing it in park and wordlessly getting out of the car. 

She briefly wonders if he’s planning on just leaving her here with a head injury as payback for smacking him in the face with his own hoodie (maybe hoping whatever it was that jumped out in front of the car will circle back around and finish her off) but then she catches sight of him in the rearview mirror just as he pops the trunk. 

Beth slowly opens her door and swings her legs out, shoes slipping against wet gravel as she closes her eyes against the slight drizzle and she’s just about to push herself up and out of the car when she feels Rio’s hand nudge her knee. 

She blinks her eyes open and is forced to tilt her head back slightly to look up at him because he’s towering over her, which again— _rude_. 

“Thought you were going to leave me.” She grouses and he huffs out a laugh as he holds up what looks to be a first aid kit for her to see. 

“You okay?” He asks, eyes roaming over her face and she nods, wincing a little at the pain that causes and he frowns. 

He ducks his head down, hand coming up to push up on her chin, tilting her head back even further to see her forehead better in the overhead light. His fingers leave her chin to slide up into her hair, gently pushing it back to tuck behind her ear and out of the way. 

“Told you so.” She finally manages to whisper and he bites back a smile. 

“Yeah, I think you’ll live.” He murmurs, face so close she can see the teeny tiny bits of moisture from the air clinging to his eyelashes and she can’t help but think that all she’d have to do to bridge that gap is lean up just the slightest bit...reach her hand around to slide over the back of his neck and pull him down just the slightest bit...brush her lips up against his...

But he’s moving away, placing the first aid kit in her lap as he crouches down in front of her and she watches silently as he unpacks a few things—alcohol wipes, antiseptic cream and a band aid. 

Then he’s popping back up and getting to work on the cut on her forehead and Beth sighs. “What was that thing anyway?” 

“I got no idea. Looked like a fuckin’ moose or somethin’.” 

Beth scoffs and rolls her eyes. “We don’t have moose in Detroit. It was probably just a giant deer.” 

“You ask questions just to argue?” 

She pauses, considering. “Maybe.” 

He laughs and nods his head and she grins and it hurts a lot less to move her face this time.

Rio finishes up, carefully placing the band aid over the cut, gently pressing it against her skin, and then takes the first aid kit from her lap and returns it to the trunk of the car. 

He makes one more stop at her side of the car, reaching in to grab the hoodie and wrap it around her shoulders once more before tucking her back into her seat and closing her door. 

The fog has mostly dissipated by the time they finally make it back to her house. 

When she goes to shrug his hoodie off, he stops her with a hand to her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze as he tells her to keep it.


	7. Day 7 Prompt - Haunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your sweet comments, you guys are seriously the best!

“Mom! Mommy! They have a corn maze!” Beth barely has enough time to turn in the direction of her daughters shrieking voice before Jane launches herself at Beth’s legs, yanking at her arms excitedly. “C’mon, come see.” 

Jane grabs her hand and whips around, pulling at her arm before she can even say anything, and Beth laughs as she lets her drag her away, presumably toward the corn maze. 

It had been Jane’s idea to come to the fall festival to begin with, making outrageous promises of good behavior until Beth had finally caved. 

She’d decided to make a whole outing out of it, with Ruby and Stan and Annie and all the kids. 

They’re all scattered around the area now, each parent and the older kids keeping an eye out for the younger ones. 

“Jane, where is your brother? He’s supposed to be—” 

“He ran off with his dumb friends. He didn’t even wait for me!” Jane stops abruptly to pout, hands on hips, clearly exasperated by her older brothers behavior. 

And yeah, Beth’s going to have to have a talk with him about that. 

“That’s not a nice thing to call people.” Beth admonishes, but Jane’s already off again, making a beeline for the entrance to the maze and Beth picks up her pace to catch up with her. 

She’s stopped just outside the opening and Beth comes to a slow stop beside her. 

“Uh, I’m not sure this corn maze is age appropriate for you, honey.” 

There’s a large dilapidated looking wooden sign off to the side that has the word ‘Haunted Maze’ written in red paint across it. 

Jane’s not paying any attention to her though, instead still looking around, searching for something, or someone, in the massive outdoor space and then her tiny face lights up as she bounces on her feet and Beth turns and freezes. 

Because there’s an equally excited Marcus, pulling along a reluctant looking Rio in an eerily similar fashion to how Jane had led _her_ here. 

Well. Shit. 

Marcus drops Rio’s hand when they get close enough, greeting Beth quickly before moving on to Jane and Beth offers Rio a weak smile when he comes to a stop next to her. 

“We have to stop meeting like this.” She quips and he shoves his hands in his pockets as he lets out a quiet chuckle. He shakes his head, eyes on Marcus, who is actively avoiding his gaze. 

“Guess I know why he was so anxious to get here now.” 

“Jane can be _very_ persistent.” Beth says, shooting her daughter a look of pure exasperation, which she ignores. 

“Oh yeah? Wonder where she gets that from.” 

“She’s been watching a lot of Parent Trap lately, so elaborate schemes are kind of her thing now.” She continues, completely ignoring his comment, like he hadn’t even spoken, and the corner of his mouth twitches up in a half smile. 

“Parent Trap, huh? An you supposed to be the waspy blonde? Yeah, I can see that.” 

“Excuse me, _waspy_ blonde?” 

Rio hums, gaze roaming over her and Beth rolls her eyes just as Jane and Marcus work up the nerve to approach them. 

“Can we _please_ go in the corn maze now? I promise we won’t be scared. And we can do the buddy system! I have Marcus and mommy, you can have Mr. Rio.” 

Beth flushes at Jane’s words because no—she absolutely cannot just _have_ Rio. 

And one look at Rio let’s her know he’s barely holding back his laughter and Beth resists the urge to get violent in front of the children. 

Beth glances over at Marcus, who actually looks fairly terrified already, but is putting on a pretty decent brave face for Jane. 

“Yeah, I aint goin’ in there.” Rio says, not hesitating in immediately shutting Jane down and she pouts up at him and Beth can see it—the _split second_ his tough guy exterior cracks and he falters under her daughters intense scrutiny. 

“But _why_?” Jane whines and Beth can tell Rio’s regretting every single decision that has led him here and she presses her lips together to keep from laughing. 

“I don’t do haunted, little one.” 

“Not even for Marcus?” Beth interjects, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. Rio shakes his head firmly. “So, what, you would send him in there all alone?” 

“Kids gotta grow up sometime.” 

And Beth can’t help it, she _does_ laugh then—at how serious he is, at how _ridiculous_ he is. 

“Oh, come on, what’re you scared?” She teases, unwilling to pass up the opportunity. 

“Yeah, that reverse psychology b.s. aint gonna work on me.” 

But now the idea has hooked and it’s tugging at her and she suddenly _needs_ to get him into that haunted maze. 

“Dad, please?” Marcus asks, giving his dad the best puppy dog eyes he can muster, and Beth has to give the kid credit, he’s almost as good as Jane. 

And something blooms sharp and quick in her chest at the thought of these two having Rio wrapped around their little fingers. 

“I’ll bake you a box of those cookies you like for a whole month.” She says quickly, instantly ready to barter and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, before snapping together and she can practically see him trying to figure out how to work this to his advantage. 

In the end, not only has she promised the cookies, but also an adjusted time schedule for the next drop and a knitted beanie, like the one he’d seen her making for Kenny the other night. 

(She’d flushed hot at the thought of making him something, at the thought of him actually _wearing_ it, and he’d teased her about needing something else to keep him warm since his hoodie had been rehomed.) 

A thought hits her right as they step through the entrance and start making their way down the long winding path of the tall corn field. She inquires about his gun as quietly as possible and when she’s met only with laughter and no actual answer, she politely requests that if he _does_ in fact have it on him, that he refrain from actually using it to shoot anyone here. His “Can’t promise anything, sweetheart” in response does nothing to comfort her. 


	8. Day 8 Prompt - Lantern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are completely unbeta'd so forgive me any errors and excessive commas - medievalraven hasn't gotten the chance to assassinate them.  
> Also please note the ratings bump and tags!

The kids are finally settled into bed upstairs and Beth’s on her second glass of bourbon, debating a third, when she hears the creaking of the backdoor and she rolls her eyes, letting out a sigh as her eyes find the clock on the wall opposite her. 

“Did you have a key made when I wasn’t looking or something?” She asks, fiddling with the corner of the pillow next to her on the couch, refusing to even turn around and seek him out, and she hears his low chuckle from behind her. She smiles against the rim of her glass as she takes another drink and then he’s stepping into her line of vision and it really is _unfair_ \--just how _good_ he looks all the time, the urge to just... _sink her teeth into him_ overwhelming. 

The bourbon is definitely not helping.

“Key only works if you lock your door, ma.” He snarks back and okay—so he has her there. 

“Well, normal people knock.” She points out, bringing her legs up under her so she doesn’t do anything stupid, like actually get up and bite him. She sets her drink against her knee and he watches her every movement like a hawk and she’s suddenly feeling very warm. 

“Yeah, but see, we ain’t normal people.” He responds with a shrug and okay—so she can concede to that point as well. 

She finishes off her drink and hesitates for just a second before holding it out to him and he grins, unmoving as he raises an eyebrow and she rolls her eyes, adding a (admittedly sarcastic) “Please?”. 

He accepts it though, taking the glass from her and going over to the bar cart to refill it, sinking down next to her on the couch when he hands it back. 

“You seem tense, mama.” He comments and she rests her head back against the cushions, squinting up at the ceiling because she can’t decide if he’s insulting her or not.

And it’s not exactly a _lie_ anyway. 

Although things have been going well with the spas, things with the Dean (and more importantly, _the house_ ) are moving into rocky territory. 

And she thinks he can probably tell but...this is not something they do. 

Talk. 

“I’m a mother of four and president of the PTA who also happens to have a full time job with a _boss_ who likes to drop in after hours a lot. Some days are tense.” 

He huffs out a laugh and shifts slightly on the couch and she rolls her head to look at him. 

“Yeah, that sounds rough.” He’s teasing, his eyes practically sparkling with mirth and the urge to kiss him and then smack him, or vice versa, is so strong her hand twitches and she wonders how much is the bourbon and how much is really just her. 

“It would really help if, instead of constantly criticizing my work performance, he would show his _appreciation_ for all the hard work I’ve done with a nice spa day or something.” 

“Oh yeah? You think you earned a massage?” 

“ _Definitely_.” Beth snorts out on a laugh her hand unconsciously coming up to rub at the back of her neck and Rio’s mouth twitches up but he’s giving her _that_ heavy lidded gaze and her laughter fades a bit as she drops her hand. 

“Okay.” He says, voice low and husky and jesus, she feels like all the air is being sucked out of the room with the way he’s looking at her and she’s not one hundred percent sure what she’s agreeing to but she _is_ sure it’s mostly the bourbon when she echoes his ‘okay’ with one of her own. 

And then he’s slowly kicking off his shoes, never breaking eye contact as he stands and shrugs off his jacket, taking her drink and setting it on the coffee table, and Beth swallows thickly.

Then he’s hopping up behind her, settling himself on top of the back cushions of the couch, a leg on each side of her body, and she lets out a little squeak as the movement forces her body to shift and her grip on the pillow tightens. 

His hands slide over her shoulders and she stiffens slightly. “What are you doing?” 

“Showin’ my _appreciation_. Helpin’ you work out some o’ these...kinks.” 

Beth rolls her eyes as she tilts her head up to look back at him. “Have you ever sat on a piece of furniture correctly in your life?” She snarks and he brings his hand up, fingers gently skimming over the side of her face before pushing at her chin, forcing her to turn back around as he shushes her. 

“You’re going to flatten my cushions.” She points out, just to irritate him further, and he gives her shoulders a tight squeeze and she lets out a breathless little laugh that has him relaxing his fingers and sliding them up to the base of her neck, pressing in, and goosebumps immediately erupt over her skin as she shivers. Her head tilts forward of its own accord, giving him better access which he immediately takes advantage of and she melts into his touch. 

Her eyes drift closed and _god_ , how could she forget how _good_ his hands felt on her? 

And really, the truth is she hadn’t forgotten as much as she’d forced the memories to fade, pushing them away so as not to be tainted by _Dean’s_ —

Beth stiffens at the invasive thought and Rio immediately stops his hands. 

And she knows this time it’s _her_ , not the bourbon (but she will _never_ admit it), when she turns her head and lifts her shoulder slightly, her lips brushing up against his knuckles and she hears his sharp intake of breath, _feels_ it right between her thighs. 

And when he starts touching her again, it’s softer, slower, and his hands are moving lower and her breath hitches when his fingers skim over the swell of her breasts and then dip even lower, beneath the v-neck of her sweater. Her hand comes up and around to grip his arm and apparently that’s all the encouragement he needs because his hand slides all the way in, under her bra, his fingers teasing over her nipple and Beth tilts her head back and moans softly.

And then his hand is gone and he’s sliding back down onto the couch, flipping her over onto her back and they’re a mess of limbs and harsh breaths and _god_ she’s missed the weight of his body against hers, and she rocks her hips up against him _just because she can_ , and she’s rewarded with a low groan that shoots heat low. 

And he’s pushing up on her sweater, shoving it up along with her bra and then his mouth his hot on her breasts and she moans a little louder this time, her hands gripping his shoulders, fingernails digging in sharply and he hisses as he reaches up, grabbing her wrists and yanking them up above the armrest, connecting with something solid on the side table on the way and a second later she hears whatever it was crash onto the hardwood floors. 

She pulls at her hands, her head turning to try and see whatever the hell it was, but he seems considerably less concerned with the noise, not budging in his hold on her as his teeth scrape bluntly against her nipple and Beth’s head jerks back as she sucks in a sharp breath. He huffs out a laugh against her skin and she squirms underneath him, arching her back, and he _finally_ lifts up, lips so close she trembles a little with how much she wants...she wants.... _she wants_...

“Mom? Are you okay?” 

Beth gasps as Danny’s voice echoes off the walls from the top of the stairs and she yanks at her wrists, freeing them, shoving at Rio so hard he rolls off the couch and Beth has to slap her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. 

“Mom...?” Danny’s voice sounds closer this time and Beth hears the creak of the stairs and she quickly readjusts her clothing as Rio starts to get up, but she shoves him back down, sitting up quickly and looking back over her shoulder toward the staircase. “I’m fine honey, go back to bed.” 

“I heard a noise—”

Beth scrambles off the couch, shooting Rio a warning look as she strides over to the bottom step, peeking her head around the corner to look up at her concerned son. 

“It’s okay sweetie, I just knocked something over. Go back to bed.” She gives him her most reassuring smile and he finally gives in, turning around and heading back to his room and Beth waits until she hears his door close before she goes back to the living room, running her fingers through her hair and straightening out her clothing once more, wondering what the hell she’s supposed to say about _this_ , but—

He’s gone. 

And Beth groans as she finally sees what they—what _he_ knocked over. 

Her new ceramic pumpkin and a decorative lantern. 

The pumpkins cracked clean in half but the glass from the lantern has broken off into smaller, but still manageable, pieces. 

She turns to go get the broom and dustpan and runs right into Rio. 

“Jesus, do I need to put a bell on you or something?” She snaps and then her eyes drop and she sees he’s holding the broom and dustpan. “ _How do you even know where those are?_ ” 

He huffs out a laugh and then gently moves her to the side so he can clean up and Beth watches, silently debating whether jumping him again out here is a good idea or not after already almost getting caught once. 

In the end, having one kid almost wander down was traumatizing and sobering enough for the both of them, and there’s a silent mutual agreement when he leaves not long after, lips brushing against her temple on his way out.


	9. Day 9 Prompt - Stars

If she had to guess, Beth thinks Kenny was maybe...six or so when they first let him decide what theme he wanted his room decorated in. 

Just old enough where it wouldn’t be a mess of conflicting cartoon characters but not too old where _she_ couldn’t have some input as well. 

He’d been going through a dinosaur and space phase so, naturally, they’d had to combine the two, with dinosaur figurines in space helmets and framed dinosaur artwork hanging over top of white cloud wallpaper and glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling. 

Those had been his favorite. 

She’d spent a ridiculous amount of time setting up the stars _just so_ , making sure to throw a few constellations in as she went. 

Every night after his bedtime story, Beth had stayed that little bit extra in his room, staring up at the stars with him, until his eyes started to drift closed. 

The stars had stayed, even as Kenny grew out of dinosaurs and space and into airplanes and cars and they had stayed still through coming years of switches and transitions—a forever constant in a room of change. 

Now it’s Emma and Jane who look up at the stars and even though they don’t shine as brightly as that first night with Kenny, they are still a source of comfort and familiarity, something that has lulled each of her children off to sleep. 

And it’s here, in Jane and Emma’s room, laid out across the floor, that Rio finds Beth when he comes to pick up the drop for the night. 

She doesn’t hear him at first, because _of course_ she doesn’t, she thinks the man must have every creaky floorboard and squeaky door mapped out in her house by now, so when he pops up at the edge of her peripheral vision, leaning casually against the door frame, it takes everything in her not to jump up and throw something at him. 

For someone who has fairly recently been shot, one would think he’d make a more conscious effort _not_ to sneak up on people. 

Either way, she chooses to ignore him once her heart rate has gone back down to a normal pace, trying to remember where exactly it was that she found these particular stars because they really have lasted _forever_...

“What’re you doin’?” He finally asks, when it’s become abundantly clear she has no intention of acknowledging him and Beth blinks slowly up at the ceiling. “Elizabeth...” 

“The box is downstairs on the kitchen island. I left it where you could see it.” She says in lieu of an actual answer, the silent ‘so why are you up _here_?’ hanging heavy in the air between them. 

He sighs, clearly exasperated with her, and well— _good_. 

Fine. 

_She is too_. 

But then he...he steps over the threshold, into the room and he... _he’s lying down beside her_ and—

Well, _that_ is a lot more comforting than it should be. 

There’s this blissful quiet that stretches out between them as they both just...stare up at the ceiling and she’s suddenly drowning in the memory of the two of them sitting out in the backyard, of them on her _couch_ , and the weight of it presses down on her chest and her lips part slightly as she sucks in a sharp, almost painful, breath. 

And she’s so desperate to focus on _anything_ else, she zeroes back in on the stars, the words flowing out of her before she can stop them--

“I’ll have to finally take them down soon if we...” She trails off, unable to even finish, these stupid stars that she spent so much time on, that have tied these little moments in her life together, that will take less than five minutes to just-- wipe clean, _like they were never there_... 

He doesn’t say anything, still quiet next to her, and jesus, why _would_ he?

There’s another beat of silence and then, “Marcus’ been through three different rooms with me. His ma’s the only stable place he got.” 

He says it low, rough, like it’s almost painful for the words to leave his mouth, but he’s offering them to her anyway and she rolls her head to the side to look at him. 

And he turns to face her after a minute and she’s not sure who leans in first, but her nose is brushing up against his cheek and then her _lips_ are brushing up against his and she lets out the tiniest whimper against his mouth and then he’s reaching for her, hand sliding into her hair to tug her closer, to deepen the kiss, and she’s about to pull back, tell him _not here_ , tell him _downstairs_ , but then _he’s_ pulling away first and she’s confused for a moment until he yanks his phone out of his pocket and she realizes it’s been vibrating. 

She has to bite her lip from screaming in frustration. 

He pushes himself up to stand, turning to help her up right after, and she follows him downstairs, silently watching as he grabs the box full of cash. 

“I’ll see you.” He says, giving her shoulder a tight squeeze, and then he’s gone. 


	10. Day 10 Prompt - Forest

Beth cusses low, reaching up to readjust her glasses, frustrated, as the ends of the brown fleece fabric bunch up at the seams _yet again_.

This is the third time it’s happened and normally she doesn’t have these kinds of issues with such a simple pattern but she’s been...distracted as of late. 

And she needs to get this damn project done tonight or Emma’s class play is going to be down a tree. 

She’s already completed the five other costumes she’d volunteered to do; this is her last one—if she could just get these _seams_ to cooperate...

Beth hears the front door open and she freezes, eyes darting over to Emma, who’s sitting opposite her at the dining room table, carefully cutting out two foam owls. She shifts in her seat, turning her head to listen for the rest of the kids in the living room. 

It’s early...too early and it wouldn’t be the front door, it’d be the back, but...

There’s a brief moment of silence, and then she hears Kenny’s voice, followed closely by _Annie’s_ , and she instantly relaxes. 

Not even five seconds later Annie is popping into view and Beth carefully maneuvers the fabric out from the sewing machine, shaking it out to examine her progress and see if the seams are hidden well enough that she won’t have to redo anything. 

“Yo.” Annie greets them, almost immediately settling herself up on top of the dining room table next to the sewing machine and Beth’s grip on the fabric tightens for a split second before she forces herself to relax. 

“You’re not supposed to sit on the table.” Emma politely points out before Beth can even say anything and Beth doesn’t even try to hide her smile. “Thank you, Emma, that was very helpful.” She praises her daughter, who beams back at her in return. 

“Those kinds of rules really only apply to kids. Us adults can pretty much do whatever we want.” Annie replies, picking up a piece of scrap fabric and twisting it around her fingers. 

“Oh, are we qualifying ourselves as adults today?” Beth snorts out and Annie swings her leg out, nudging Beth’s arm with it and Beth swats her away. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Annie asks, balling up the fabric and tossing it at Beth, who glares at her. 

“Nothing.” She automatically answers, then sighs as she eyes the fabric in her hands critically. “Everything.” 

“What the hell are you even supposed to be making?” Annie questions, grabbing for the fabric, which Beth holds just out of reach. 

“You’re not supposed to swear.” Emma patiently points out again and Annie simply nods an acknowledgment as Beth huffs out a laugh. 

“It’s Emma’s costume.” Beth finally replies, holding it up for her sister to see and Emma adds proudly, “I’m going to be the forest!” 

“Well, _part_ of the forest.” Beth gently corrects and Annie’s eyebrows snap together, confused and Beth clarifies. “Her class is putting on a play. ‘The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.’” 

“Was there a forest in that movie?” 

“There is one now. Well, less of a forest and more of a...small wood.” 

“Who even puts on a play for Halloween?”

Beth let’s out a sigh, taking her glasses off and tossing them onto the table before rubbing at her eyes. “Annie...” 

Annie completely ignores the warning in Beth’s tone, eyeing the costume in her hand critically instead, her nose wrinkling up. “I’m sorry, but that looks like a giant turd.” 

Beth rolls her eyes as she drops the costume back onto the table. “It does _not_!”

“Oh, it _totally_ does, dear sister.” 

“Mom?” Emma sounds worried and Beth glares at Annie who just laughs. “It’s fine sweetheart, we still have to add the rest of the decorations to it, don’t worry. You know how Aunt Annie tries to be funny.” 

“Why doesn’t the school just buy these things already made?” Annie wonders out loud, picking up the costume and flipping it around. 

And Beth clenches her jaw at having _this_ conversation again. “The PTA asks for volunteers every year, plenty of parents love helping out their children’s school.” 

“A.K.A, you’re so anal retentive you’ve outsourced all costuming to _yourself_ so you can make sure everything looks just the way you want it.” 

“Is there a reason that you’re here?” 

Annie widens her eyes and tilts her head toward Emma, who has gone back to her cutting, and Beth gets the hint, sending her daughter off to go watch a movie with the rest of her siblings for a few minutes. Once she’s gone, Annie continues. “Okay so, Mick and I were talking—” 

“I’m sorry, _what_?”

“What?” 

“You...and Mick...?” 

“Yeah, we talk. Well, I mostly do the talking and he mostly stares broodily and offers a head nod or two. I swear, it must be some sort of requirement to be in gang friends inner circle—” Annie flails her hands out, shaking her head and Beth holds her hand up to cut her off before she can get too deep into a tangent. 

“Annie, get to the point.” 

“The point is, _we_ think that _we_ should totally have a Halloween party.” 

“We? Meaning...you.” 

“Well...yes, mainly me. But also half a head nod from Mick. Well, more of like a...head tilt, if you will...” 

“A Halloween party, Annie? Really?” Beth doesn’t bother keeping the exasperation out of her voice, because this seems like the last thing they need right now. 

“Yes. Like an office party.” 

“I think that’s probably the worst idea you’ve ever had.” 

“No, c’mon hear me out. We can have it at the hot tub place and it’ll be adults only, but you _have to_ wear a costume and we can have booze and games and we’ll even let you decorate! C’mon Beth, I know you can’t resist a good opportunity to craft.” She pointedly gestures out at all the crafting supplies currently overflowing on top of the dining room table. 

And—shit, now that the idea’s been planted, it’s taking hold and a loose plan has already formed as to how she can make this work, already sorting out all the details and really, they haven’t had any sort of office party or get together since they’d taken over and this might be a nice way to get everyone acclimated... 

And her mind can’t help but go straight to Rio. 

Would he come? Would he dress up? 

God, Beth almost laughs out loud at the very idea...

And Annie’s grinning at her, like she knows exactly what she’s thinking, an absolutely too smug look on her face and really, she should _not_ know how to play her this well. 

Beth considers protesting some more, but in the end decides not to draw it out, Annie already vibrating with an energy that’s contagious. “Okay, fine. Office party. _But_ you have to actually _help_ , Annie.” 

And Annie’s too busy celebrating her win, that last part of Beth’s sentence not even remotely sticking and Beth can’t help but smile anyway as she thinks about...well as she thinks about _him_ and this Halloween party.


	11. Day 11 Prompt - Nightmare

Beth wakes up with a jolt, panting as she sits bolt upright in bed. 

She brings her hand up, shoving the sweaty pieces of hair sticking to her forehead out of the way.

Her hearts still racing and she thinks it’s probably because it’s been awhile since she’s... 

Well—it’s been awhile, she’s not used to this anymore, she’s forgotten how to bring herself down from it. 

Beth squeezes her eyes shut, sucking in a wet shuddering breath, holding it in until her chest feels like it’s going to burst and then she lets it out on a soft whoosh. 

Her head feels a little dizzy, a little fuzzy, but at least it’s not filled with...

Well, it’s blissfully empty of any haunting memories—although she can still feel them, clinging to the edges, ready to come out again when she closes her eyes. 

Beth scoots back against the headboard, bringing her knees up to wrap her arms around, chin coming down to rest on top. 

A faint buzzing noise fills her room and she glances over at her bedside table. Her phone is vibrating and she looks at the clock. 

It’s late. 

Too late for anything good to come of a phone call. 

She leans over, stretching her arm out to flip it over and her fingers freeze as the screen lights up and she instantly recognizes the number. 

She debates answering it as it continues to buzz against the hard surface of the nightstand. If she was still asleep, this late, she _could_ conceivably miss a phone call. 

It’s a passable excuse. 

But she’s not asleep. 

Beth quickly unplugs the phone from its charger and settles back against the headboard, taking a deep breath before swiping up on the green icon and bringing it up to her ear. 

“Hello?” She says quietly, sounding unsure of herself and _hating_ it. 

“’Ey. What’re you doin’ up?” He sounds surprised and Beth squints into the darkness, wondering if this is some sort of trick question. 

“You...called me?” 

“Oh shit, did I wake you?” His words are tinged with laughter and a little more mumbled, if possible, than usual and Beth sits up a little straighter. “I mean, why would you call me unless you wanted to wake me...” She trails off, a little confused, and then starts again. “Are you...are you drunk?” 

“You think I’d only call you drunk?” 

“Well...yes.” 

He lets out a soft chuckle then and she bites at her lip, burrowing a little more underneath her comforter. 

“I was already awake.” She decides to clarify, if only to fill the ensuing silence. 

“Oh, yeah? You drinkin’ too?” 

Too. So, he is drunk. Or at least on his way. 

“No, just...just couldn’t sleep.” 

He hums a little and she hates how that sound makes her feel. 

“Bad dreams?”

Her breath catches in her throat at his inquiry, his voice soft but the words sharp and she finds herself nodding slowly even though he can’t see her. And even though he’s met with silence, he seems to know her answer anyway. 

Seems to know _her_ anyway. 

There’s a stretch of silence but she can still hear his breathing and god, she never knew such a simple act would be able to bring her so much pain and so much comfort all at once. 

“Do you think about it?” She asks, sudden and a little breathless. 

“Which part?”

“Any of it. All of it.”

There’s another pause and this time she thinks he might actually hang up on her. But then he’s answering, voice so low and husky it sends a shiver down her spine. “Yeah.” 

Another beat of silence. 

“Why did you call me?” Her voice is small when she asks, but this time she doesn’t hate it as much. 

“Got bad dreams too, mami.” 

She opens and closes her mouth several times, unsure of what to even _say_ to that, but he isn’t waiting for a response anyway. 

“Know something that could help with that.” He adds, and _god_ —did everything out of his mouth have to sound like straight _sex_? 

“Drinking?” She answers and he laughs. 

“Nah.”

He’s waiting for her to respond, to answer an unspoken question...

“The kids are here...” She finally says, and he hums and she wishes...god, she doesn’t know what she wishes. 

“I should get back to bed.” She whispers, knowing if she stays in this moment with him, she’ll give in. 

“Aight. G’night, Elizabeth.” 

“Night...” 

When she closes her eyes this time, there are no memories there to haunt her. 


	12. Day 12 Prompt - Black Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you x1000 for the kudos and comments! You all are so very veryyy sweet and I am insanely appreciative!

“What’re you doin’?” 

Beth startles a little at the sound of Rio’s voice behind her, hand coming out to steady herself against the patio pavement, her head whipping around to glare at him. 

“You know, if you ever came through the front door like a _normal person_ —”

“Where’s the fun in that?” 

“Oh, it’d be fun for me, trust me.” 

She watches as he hops up on top of the picnic table and _honestly_ , does he think the benches are just there for decoration? 

Beth pushes herself up to stand and wipes her hands off on the front of her jeans. 

Rio’s still looking pointedly at the small bowl she’s just set out along the outside wall of the house and she pushes her hair behind her ears as she slowly walks over toward the table. “Jane thinks we have a stray. Keeps going on and on about a black cat. No one else has seen it, but she insisted I put a bowl of food out tonight, just in case.” 

“You feed it, you’re stuck with it.” Rio points out and Beth bites back a scathing response, watches him grin as he clocks it on her face, but she refuses to play into it. 

“There are worse things to be stuck with...” 

The grin widens, because of course she’s his constant source of amusement. “Maybe you outta slow down on that whole pet situation though, yeah?” 

Beth’s eyes narrow as she places her hands on her hips. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“Nothin’.” He replies quickly, heeding the warning in her tone, but when she continues to glare at him, he lets out a sigh, hand coming up to scrub over his face. “Aight. What happened to your dog, darlin’? The fish? That bird?” 

Beth’s mouth drops open for a second, momentarily shocked. Because _how_ does he even _know_ about--

Of _course_ he knows.

“Those were very extenuating circumstances!” She finally sputters in outrage, hands flailing a bit because how dare he imply she was a bad pet owner, when half of those were _his_ fault.

“Uh huh.” 

“You are such an ass.” 

“Uh huh.” He repeats, soft smile on his face and Beth rocks her jaw a little as a smile of her own threatens, the corner of her mouth twitching up.

“Well, Jane does have an extremely overactive imagination, so I think this mythical cat is safe.” She says, leaning her hip against the wooden edge of the table, thinking about how Jane had also mentioned a witch in that same conversation about the cat. “Boxes are inside.” Beth thinks to add, a little absentmindedly.

It’s his whole reason for being here, after all.

He nods an acknowledgment, but doesn’t move off the table and Beth hesitates for a fraction of a second before climbing up next to him. 

She rocks her feet against the bench, hands coming down to grip the edge of the table as she looks up at the sky. 

“So, what’s this I been hearin’ bout a party?” He suddenly asks and Beth groans as she closes her eyes and tilts her head back even further and she’s hears him let out a quiet chuckle. 

“I have nothing to do with that. Annie insisted. Sometimes it’s easier to agree than to argue.” 

“Didn’t think you needed to run that by me first?” 

She drops her chin to look at him. “Why would I run that by you? You’re a silent partner. Silent partners stay silent.” 

“Nah, that’s aint how that works.” 

“Well, it should.” She grumbles. 

“So, what, my invitation get lost in the mail or somethin’?” 

“There are no invitations.” 

“Oh, c’mon ma, I know you better than that.” 

Beth bites at her lip as her hands twitch and her fingers flex against the table’s edge. “Where would I even send one? It’s not like I know your address or anything.” 

“Never stopped you before.”

Beth flushes hot, doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to him bringing up their past, shoving it right back in her face—like she could ever forget. 

“I’ll see what I can do.” She finally settles on and he laughs, but nods his head and she turns away before she can do something ridiculous—like throw him down on the ground and fuck him into the dirt. 

She hates to admit it, even to herself, but she’s getting used to these stretches of silence, these blissfully peaceful moments between them and it makes her heart clench, because she knows at any moment he could yank the rug right out from underneath her and she can’t stand the thought of falling. 

Rio gently nudges her then and she turns to look at him and he lifts his chin out toward the gate entrance and Beth squints as she sees movement and not even ten seconds later a small black cat pops out of the shadows and into view. 

Well...

“Son of a bitch.”


	13. Day 13 Prompt - Bat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should point out, if you haven't already noticed by now, there's no real point/plot to these prompts, they're all just loosely connected bits of fluff haha.   
> I hope you're enjoying them and thank you, thank you, thank you for the kudos/comments/indulging me in my nonsense! It is all very much appreciated.

Beth grins as she grabs the orange and black checked dish cloth nearest to her, wiping her hands off as she watches the kids work through their cookie dough with their assorted cookie cutters. 

Jane and Marcus had insisted on the cat and bat shapes, respectively, and they’re each gleefully stamping through their dough, giggling as they reroll the ones with imperfections to try again. 

Jane had begged for Marcus to join them in making the goodie bags for their class Halloween party the last time Rio had stopped by and Beth had rushed her off to bed, mortified, before Rio could answer. 

But then he’d shown up, Marcus in tow, not too long after they had started and Beth is really going to have to ask him one day how he just... _knows things_. 

She turns away from the kids to glance out the window above the sink, watching Rio pace back and forth in the backyard, phone pressed up to his ear. He’d stepped outside a few minutes prior to take a phone call and it does not look like it’s going very well. 

She wonders if it has anything to do with their money.

The timer goes off for the batch of cookies already in the oven and Beth grabs her oven mitts and takes them out, setting them up and away from the kids to cool off before they add the icing.

She’s just taking the mitts off and tossing them on the counter when Rio comes back in. 

He immediately heads straight over to Marcus, who proudly shows off his bats, Jane vying for his attention on his other side. 

Beth tries not to linger too much on the sharp _ache_ in her chest at seeing him in her kitchen like this.

Rio lifts his head then and catches her eye and she almost looks away, a little embarrassed at being caught, but he’s just so...so _soft_ , softer than she’s ever seen him, those sharp angles that cut and scar now mellowed and faded around the edges and she wonders if this is how he looks all the time when he’s living his life—with Marcus. With Rhea. 

Away from her. 

She turns quickly then, busying herself with the next batch of cookies and she can feel him when he approaches, sliding up next to her at the counter. 

“Gonna have to change some things with the next few drops.” He says, voice low as he leans in close and Beth shifts back a little as she glances over at the kids. 

They aren’t paying any attention to either one of them. 

“Why do you never bring me good news?” She gripes, reaching over to grab the containers of icing and piping bags. 

“Like keepin’ you on your toes.” He answers, quickly snatching a cookie off the cooling rack and Beth swats at his hand, but he just grins as he takes a big bite out of the witch’s hat and Beth glares at him. 

“You’re worse than the kids.” She points out, moving to open up the containers of icing and fill the piping bags. He reaches over again, trying to swipe some frosting this time and Beth laughs as she pulls away, waving her hand out at him. “ _Stop_.”

“I’m just tryin’ to help, ma.” 

“Liar.” 

She gets the last batch in the oven before handing the bags over to the kids to start icing the cookies that are already done. Rio even eventually helps, doing a fairly impressive job of handling the piping bags and decorating the cookies, but not without sneaking a few, Beth scolding him each time. 

It gets late, past the kids’ bedtime, and when Rio announces his and Marcus’ impending departure, she’s not sure who’s more disappointed—her or Jane. 

He promises Jane another playdate soon before Beth sends her upstairs to bed with the others. 

“’Ey pop, go get yourself in the car.” Rio says, opening the front door for Marcus. “I gotta talk to Miss Elizabeth for a second.” 

Marcus nods, saying bye to Beth before disappearing and she turns back to Rio, confused. “Is this about the drop—” Her sentence ends in a gasp as Rio wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her into him, his lips on hers before she can even react and then he’s coaxing her mouth open, slipping his tongue in and Beth melts into him with a moan. 

When he breaks the kiss a moment later, Beth feels dizzy with want, blinking up at him slowly. 

“You and I are gonna have our own playdate real soon, yeah?” 

A breathless “Okay.” is all she can manage before he’s giving her one last squeeze and then he’s gone.


	14. Day 14 Prompt - Spider

Beth watches through the window as Jane kicks her soccer ball over to Marcus in the backyard, yelling when he runs away with it, chasing after him. 

She turns around after a minute and leans back against the sink, sipping her coffee as she watches Rio, opposite her. 

It’s like a routine now, him coming by with Marcus. 

Him coming by _without_ Marcus. 

Neither one of them pretend it’s about the drops anymore. 

Sometimes he doesn’t even wait until a drop night, stopping by a day or two before, here at the house or over at the office. 

There’s always that stretch of quiet between them, before one or the other breaks away from it easily, talking about the kids, plans for the weekend, how Annie’s new boyfriend actually isn’t half bad, how Mick doesn’t do well with spooky season. Almost booked it right out of the store when they went costume shopping for Marcus and one of the animated props jumped out at them. 

They always start out on opposite ends of the room and somehow always end up gravitating into each other's personal space by the end. There’s been a few more stolen kisses and even some heavy petting but nothing beyond that and Beth can’t decide if she’s relieved by the slow build up or ready to go _insane_. 

Nothing about them is conventional and she finds herself floundering a little, on unfamiliar ground, not sure where, or when, to step next. 

Rio cusses under his breath and Beth jerks out of her thoughts, stepping forward to set her mug on the kitchen island. 

He glances up at her, a hint of hesitation there before he explains. “Rhea can’t take Marcus to the game on Saturday and I got that meet.” 

And—this is new. 

Him offering literally any explanation about anything. 

Beth stays very still for a moment, trying to sort out her competing emotions, trying to remember how to _breathe_ properly, before clearing her throat, hands fidgeting with the mug in front of her. “I could take him. I mean, I’m taking Jane anyway, so...” She trails off uncertain because he’s just... _staring_ at her and she grabs the mug and turns away, back toward the sink to rinse it out. “Or not, I’m sure you have other options—” Beth lets out a soft gasp as she feels his hard body press up against hers from behind, arms coming down to bracket her and he noses at her hair, inhaling deeply as he presses even closer and her hands itch to touch him, but she grasps the edge of the sink instead. 

“You wanna take my kid to his soccer game?” He asks, voice low as his lips brush up against her ear and Beth shivers as she unconsciously pushes back against him. 

“Y-yes. I mean, it’s Jane’s soccer game too...” She trails off as he nips at the skin beneath her ear and she grips the sink tighter to keep from turning around and tearing off his clothes. 

_The kids are here_. 

And just as she has that very thought, she hears the back door swing open and Jane and Marcus come running down the hall and she shimmies out from Rio’s grasp and away from him just as they both pop into view. 

“Hey sweetie, you guys all done? Want a snack?” She offers brightly and they both nod enthusiastically. 

She ushers them out into the other room to wait, and she’s not sure who starts screaming first, but by the time her and Rio have scrambled back out into the living room, both kids have calmed down enough to immediately point to what the problem is. 

A spider. 

And it’s not particularly tiny either. 

It’s backed up against the baseboard and Beth looks to Rio, who shakes his head slowly. 

Jane is yelling about wanting to keep it as a pet and Marcus seems fairly intrigued by the idea. 

She can see Rio trying to hold back his laughter at Jane’s pet comment and rolls her eyes as she goes back into the kitchen to grab a cup and a piece of paper. 

There’s a lot of coaxing and maneuvering on Beth’s part to trap the damn spider in the cup and a lot of shrieking and jumping around by Jane and Marcus while she does. 

Rio stays on the very opposite side of the room. 

And for a split second she honestly thinks about taking it over to him, but she’s still not one hundred percent positive he wouldn’t still put a bullet in her, so she takes it out back instead, the kids trailing her, and Rio not too far behind. 

She lets them pick where to set it free and they choose a clear little patch in Beth’s garden, watching as it scurries away under some flowers. 

The kids run back inside to have their snacks, but Rio pulls Beth back just outside the door, pushing her up against the outside paneling, hands on either side of her head as he leans in. 

“I’ll drop Marcus off Saturday mornin’. You got your kids that night?” 

“No.” She breathes out, eyes on his mouth, but he doesn’t make a move to kiss her, just grins as he says, “Good, leave the door unlocked.” before heading back inside the house. 

Beth has to take a minute to compose herself before following.


	15. Day 15 Prompt - Raven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats, here's your smut!  
> Don't get too comfortable though, we'll be back on the angst train next prompt! hahaha

Beth glances over her shoulder, smiling when hears the voices from the living room drift out into the kitchen, as she waits for the popcorn to finish in the microwave. 

After she’d dropped the kids off with Dean after dinner, she’d rushed home, a little giddy at the thought of Rio stopping by. She’d taken a quick shower and changed and when she’d heard the front door open, she’d fully expected him. 

She’d been greeted by Annie and Ruby instead. 

Beth had completely forgotten about Halloween movie night. 

Every year they had movie night with the kids and a separate movie night with just the adults and tonight was adult movie night. 

She’d texted Rio, suggesting they reschedule. He hadn’t responded back right away, which was par for the course, and she’d settled into the couch next to her sister and her best friend. 

Now they were on their third movie of the night, and Annie and Ruby had been arguing for the past ten minutes over exactly what type of birds were currently attacking Tippi Hedren and Jessica Tandy and the group of children they’d just led out of their school building. 

Annie was insisting ravens and Ruby was insisting crows and Beth had declared herself neutral as she’d grabbed the empty popcorn bucket and taken it into the kitchen to refill it. 

She checks her phone again, letting out a small sigh when she sees no new texts. 

Was he mad that she’d canceled on him? Or did he just not care enough to text back? 

The microwave finally beeps and Beth pops it open, reaching in and carefully grabbing the corners of the bag and lifting it out. She just as carefully tears it open and dumps its contents into the bowl in front of her, grabbing a few pieces and popping them in her mouth. 

She hears Ruby yell triumphantly and Annie let out a series of boos, and she huffs out a laugh. 

Guess they were crows after all.

Beth tosses the empty popcorn bag into the trash and decides to make a quick detour to her bathroom before taking the popcorn back out into the living room. 

It’s not until she’s finished in the bathroom and she’s stepped back into her bedroom, that Rio decides to slip in through the patio doors and Beth almost screams, hand flying up to her chest, a strangled gasp leaving her lips instead. 

“ _What the hell_?” She hisses, eyes darting over to her open bedroom door. 

“Door was unlocked.” He smirks and Beth considers throwing something at him, but then he’s slowly approaching ( _stalking_ really) and she holds out her hand to stop him. 

He doesn’t, _of course_ , and Beth bolts for the door, barely getting it closed before he’s on her, spinning her around and trapping her between it and his body. 

“What are you doing—” Beth starts to demand, but he cuts her off with a kiss and she tastes the vodka on his tongue and his lips. She pulls away, pushing at his chest, and he changes course, head ducking down so he can mouth at the dip where her neck meets her shoulder and... _god_ —

“I texted you.” She whispers, trying to shove at him again, but he won’t budge, having settled himself pretty comfortably in her neck. 

And normally she wouldn’t mind it, _at all_ , but—

“Annie and Ruby are here.” She says, finally succeeding at pushing him away, but he doesn’t go far, still pressed entirely too close for her to be able to think straight. “It’s movie night.” She thinks to add when he just stares down at her with that heavy lidded gaze of his. 

“They leavin’ soon?” He asks, hand coming up to wind his fingers through her hair, tugging at it, and she tries to ignore the wet heat that shoots straight between her thighs at that. 

“Technically we still have one more movie left.” She says, a little breathless as his other hand slides over her hip and then down to her ass. 

“That’s too bad. Been thinkin’ bout you all damn day. Bout bendin’ you over the nearest surface and fuckin’ _ruining_ you.” He moves his hand down from her hair, swiping his thumb over her lips as the rest of his fingers press into the side of her neck and she sucks in a sharp breath, hips rocking up against him of their own accord and okay—so, this was happening. 

“I’ll get rid of them. Just...stay.” She says, pushing him back so she can slip back out her bedroom door. 

She makes up an excuse about suddenly feeling sick and she thinks her still flushed appearance from the bedroom helps sell the lie and she feels a twinge of guilt when they both offer to stay and take care of her, and she has to practically shove them out the door. 

When she slips back into her room, she leans up against the door frame and watches him, sitting on the side of her bed, texting on his phone. 

Of course. 

He’s discarded his jacket and kicked off his shoes, which is just incredibly presumptuous on his part honestly, but then he’s tossing his phone to the side as he looks up at her, eyes dark as they trace over every square inch of her body, and she feels herself clench when he lifts his chin slightly, beckoning her to come closer and—

Okay, so maybe not _that_ presumptuous. 

She comes to a stop in front of him, and he spread his legs wider and pulls her in-between them and Beth feels like there isn’t enough _air_ in the room as he reaches up and underneath her shirt, stroking a line along the waistband of her jeans, before his fingers dip into the front. 

He looks up at her then and she quietly nods and then he’s popping the button open easily and slowly pulling the zipper down, maintaining eye contact with her the entire time and she swears she can feel her fucking heart in her throat as he slowly peels her jeans down her legs and she kicks them off. 

He pushes up on her shirt, nosing at her belly button as his lips brush up against her belly and her whole body jerks a little at the contact, goosebumps erupting over her skin and he huffs out a laugh as her hands come up to tentatively rest against his shoulders and he leans over and bites one of her hipbones and her grip tightens as a tiny moan escapes her lips and then he has her flat on her back on the bed before she can even blink. 

He makes quick work of undressing them both and any doubts Beth might’ve had about whether or not he’d been wanting this as much as her fly out the window when he settles himself in between her legs and immediately gets to work with his mouth and his fingers. 

She comes impossibly hard and fast and has to literally shove him away after he forces a second smaller orgasm out of her, whimpering at how overly sensitive she feels. 

He barely gives her time to recover though, before he’s flipping her over onto her belly and yanking her hips up and back and her hands fist into the sheets when she feels his hard cock brush up against her. 

He leans his body over hers, pressing his chest into her back, biting her shoulder as he slides his cock over her wet folds, against her clit, making her body jerk again as she lets out another whimper, and she can’t help but rock back against him, desperate to have him inside of her. 

He thankfully doesn’t tease her for long, thinks he’s probably feeling just as desperate for her, sliding into her without warning and she gasps as he bottoms out, stretching her and making her feel impossibly full.

He pauses, letting her adjust as he places open mouthed kisses along her neck and back and Beth shifts, rocking her hips back impatiently. 

“Rio.” She breathes out and _that_ does it—can feel the change in him almost instantly as he lifts up, one hand coming down to grip her hip tightly, the other winding its way into her hair, gathering it up at the nape of her neck and tugging at the same time he pulls back and then snaps his hips forward sharply and Beth cries out, hands yanking at the sheets. 

He sets a brutal pace, the hand at her hip sliding down to her clit to coax her closer and closer and god, it’s almost too much too soon after the first two and it’s embarrassing really, how _easy_ it is for him to get her there. 

After, she collapses on top of the pillows and he settles down next to her and she blinks over at him, wondering if they’re supposed to _say_ something, or _do_ something. If he’s supposed to stay the night or leave, how she’s supposed to feel about either one. 

And all of it must be showing on her face because Rio rolls his eyes, grinning as he pulls her close and Beth stiffens slightly before slowly relaxing into him. 

And that blissful stretch of silence is settling over them once more and she lets herself be lulled off to sleep by it, more pleased than she’ll ever admit that Rio _does_ stay.


	16. Day 16 Prompt - Moth

Beth’s still cleaning up the backroom at Paper Porcupine, packing supplies away and moving boxes around when she hears the bell above the back door ding and her eyes snap up to the wall clock in front of her. 

Mick was supposed to be meeting her but not for another half an hour. 

“You’re early—” Beth starts as she turns around, but the words die in her throat as she comes face to face with someone who is decidedly _not_ Mick. 

She hesitates for a brief second, flipping through the catalogue of faces she’s seen before, trying to remember if Mick or Rio had mentioned someone else picking up tonight. 

The sudden flash of a knife at this guy's side tells her everything she needs to know. 

And—okay, so she guesses she’s run up her quota on being held at gun point, so sure—might as well be knives now. 

She silently curses herself for leaving the back door unlocked as she slowly raises her hands out in front of her. “What do you want?” She asks carefully, keeping her voice as steady as possible.

And to his credit, he looks just as uncertain as she is, like he accidentally stumbled upon this place and...maybe he had. 

“This is a small locally owned business, there isn’t any money here.” She decides to continue when he doesn’t immediately answer her question and the hand with the knife in it twitches as he shifts back, away from her. 

Good. 

“If you leave now, no one will ever know you were here.” She adds as soothingly as possible, keeping her hands where he can see them, because he still hasn’t uttered a word and he looks incredibly shifty and she doesn’t need to accidentally get stabbed tonight. 

And it’s just then a moth flits around the light beside the door, (this guy must’ve let it in when he came in), making the tiniest little buzzing noise that sounds like a fucking avalanche in the tense quiet right now, and her eyes are automatically drawn to it, and just that little shift in movement spooks the guy, the knife jerking up as his whole body tenses. 

“What the fuck are you looking at?” He demands, quickly glancing over his shoulder before turning back to face her and his body sways forward and Beth automatically shifts back in response. 

“Don’t fuckin’ move! What were you just looking at? You got cameras back here? You got me on camera?” 

And Beth almost laughs at how absurd it would be for her to ever have cameras installed back here but this guy obviously has no idea what he’s walked into. 

And Beth thinks that maybe even if she _can’t_ get him to leave, she _can_ at least stall long enough for Mick to show up.

Hopefully. 

“No. There are no cameras. I promise. Please, if you just—” 

He takes a step closer and Beth abruptly stops, resisting the urge to back up, eyeing the knife warily. 

Her eyes dart around the room quickly, trying to place any sort of weapon...

There’s a long metal ruler and an x-acto knife on the table next to her and she shifts the slightest bit to her left. 

“Where’s your cash?” He asks, taking another step closer and Beth’s eyes dart over to the stack of boxes on the other side of the table and he follows her gaze. 

“The registers up front.” She quickly says, pulling his attention back to her. “It hasn’t been emptied yet.” 

That’s a lie, but he doesn’t know it. 

His gaze drifts back over to the boxes and Beth shifts, enough so that he sees her and gives her a sharp look. 

“I can show you.” She offers, voice wobbling a little at the end as she blinks rapidly and the knife wavers for a split second before coming back up. 

“Okay.” He agrees and Beth feels herself relax a little at getting him _away_ from the washed cash, but then he takes two steps back and over, until he’s right in front of the boxes. “But I’m gonna see what’s in _here_ first.”

Beth inhales sharply, shaking her head as she steps forward, to do god knows what, but it’s too late. He’s already popped the lid off the topmost box. 

“What the fuck.” He whispers as he takes in the stacks of cash lined up neatly inside. 

And it’s then that they both hear the doorknob jiggle and the bell is tinkering again, announcing a new arrival and Beth feels an intense sense of relief when Mick pops into view and the guy stumbles back and away as both men take each other in in surprise and then Mick’s rushing forward, hand in his jacket, pulling his gun out and Beth thinks oh, great, this is how I die. 

The guy whips around and grabs Beth’s arm, yanking up on it hard enough that she yelps and then he’s practically tossing her across the room, trying to cut Mick off she thinks, but she’s sure Mick isn’t worried about her, (probably has strict orders to protect Rio’s money and investments and that’s it) and she hits the table hard, crying out when the corner stabs into her side. 

Expect Mick _is_ pausing to check on her before pursuing the guy, doesn’t run off after him until she’s assured him she’s fine. 

She’s not, but she’s always been a pretty good liar. 

She slowly sinks down to the floor and holds her side, trying to remember how to just... _breathe_.

Mick’s gone for so long she starts to think he’s not going to ever come back, and she slowly pulls herself up, finally feeling calm enough to finish closing up shop, when Rio appears in the doorway. 

And, well...

He does not look happy. 

“Your money is safe, it’s all there, he didn’t get to take a thing.” She’s quick to reassure him and his jaw ticks as he takes a step inside and she leans up against the table, already tired from the impending argument. 

“How’d he even get in here, Elizabeth?” Rio asks, not stopping until he’s right up in her personal space and she’s not wearing her heels tonight so she has to tilt her head back slightly to glare up at him. 

“Why does it matter? All you care about is your investment and every last bill is still there.” She snaps, flicking her wrist out toward the boxes, but he doesn’t even turn to look at them. 

“Yeah? And what if Mick hadn’t shown up? Where’d my investment be then? Huh?” 

“I was handling it.” She says, lifting her chin defiantly and he reaches up and grabs it, yanking it up and Beth gasps as she stumbles and then winces as the shift in movement causes a sharp pain to cut through her side. 

Rio lets go of her immediately, a flash of concern crossing his face and Beth’s hand comes up to cradle her side. 

And then his hands are at the hem of her shirt, pushing her arms out of the way and pushing her shirt up to examine the damage. 

“He do this to you?” 

“I was in his way.” She sniffs out, shrugging her shoulders and Rio shakes his head as he pulls her shirt back down. 

“Need to put ice on that.” He points out, like she doesn’t already know. Like she hasn’t been waiting to clean up this mess and give him his money so she can just go home and collapse in bed and try to remember a time before it was _normal_ to be constantly threatened with violence. 

And then Beth remembers that Mick still isn’t back yet and...

“Is Mick okay? Did he catch him?” Beth asks softly and Rio nods, eyes dark and serious on hers and—

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?” 

“He saw this place, ma.” He reaches up, fingers grazing over the side of her face. “He saw _you._ ”

Her heart skips a beat as she stutters out a breath, thinking about Mick checking on her first, about Rio not even looking at the money when he’d come in, his attention solely on her and...and...

Oh. 

Fuck.


	17. Day 17 Prompt - Owl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the kudos and the comments! Sometimes I'm not able to respond to them right away, but please know I see them and they are much appreciated and you all are amazing!

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I see the problem here.” Annie says, grabbing two plastic cups and a bottle of vodka from the top shelf of the kitchen cupboard and making her way over to Beth, settling in beside her on the couch. She twists open the top of the vodka, tossing the cap onto the coffee table before pouring a shot into each cup and Beth wrinkles her nose at the smell of the alcohol, like nail polish remover. 

“I’m a grown woman. I don’t need a bodyguard.” Beth answers, tone a little sharper than she intends, but she’s still very much _annoyed_. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t call Mick a bodyguard—” Annie starts to point out, handing Beth her cup, and she takes it, waving it in the air as she cuts Annie off. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, he’s always just... _swooping in_ and trying to take over. Trying to _control_ things.” 

‘Trying to control _me_ ’ sits on the tip of her tongue, but she refuses to let that one slip. 

She holds her breath as she knocks back her shot, hoping it will help mask the taste. 

It doesn’t. 

“I dunno, sounds to me like he’s just trying to like, protect you. Which y’know, after _everything_...I think says a lot.” Annie knocks back her own shot and then grabs Beth’s cup, immediately refilling them both.

“He’s just so annoying.” Beth says, coughing a little at the burn in the back of her throat from the vodka, ignoring Annie’s comment and the way _that_ burns in her chest. “With his stupid voice and stupid hoodie and stupid...mouth...” Beth trails off, momentarily distracted, remembering the things that stupid mouth had done to her—

“Don’t forget the stupid neck tattoo.” Annie inputs helpfully, gently prodding Beth back on track as she hands her the new shot and Beth tilts her head back and laughs. “Oh my god _yes_ , that stupid tattoo. God, what even _is_ that?” 

“I have no idea.” Annie giggles out with a hiccup, getting caught up in her sisters laughter until they’re both leaning into each other. “I was too scared to ask, I thought everyone else knew.” 

“ _No_ ,” Beth says, drawing the word out as she shakes her head vigorously, “Is it like, an eagle? Or a falcon?” 

“A raven! Maybe he was trying to draw inspiration from Poe. Dark and brooding aesthetics and all that.” 

“Annie, have you ever _seen_ a raven?” Between this and movie night, Beth is starting to have her doubts. “An owl maybe?” She adds thoughtfully, squinting as she tries to conjure both images up in her mind’s eye. 

“It’s probably some sort of like, mythical bird. Something that’s risen from the ashes of hell, for sure.” 

Beth huffs out another laugh as she sinks back into the couch cushions, staring down at the clear liquid inside of her cup, briefly lost in thought. 

She’d come straight here after having it out with Rio in her backyard earlier that night. 

Dean had decided to stay at the house for a few nights after what had happened at Paper Porcupine, wanting to make sure she got home safe at night, he had said. 

She hadn’t felt like arguing, just watched as he’d dropped an overnight bag onto the floor of the living room. She’d brought out bedding for the couch for him that night. 

_Tonight_ when she’d gotten home however, she’d received a text from Rio and had left Dean in the living room with the kids to finish watching their movie as she’d slipped out into the backyard. 

And they’d only been discussing the drop schedule for a few minutes when Rio’s eyes caught and stuck over her shoulder, and she’d looked behind her to see Dean through the window, moving around the kitchen. 

( “He was worried after...after what happened at the store.” She said hesitantly, lifting her shoulder in a half shrug and Rio had shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “It’s easier to just let him—than to argue.” She stumbles on her words, not sure why she feels the need to explain to him at all. 

And so what if having Dean around for a few days _had_ made her feel a little better?

“Oh yeah? Don’t seem to recall you ever havin’ a problem with arguin’ before.” 

Beth rolls her eyes as she wraps her arms around herself, the chilly night air making her shiver, hadn’t thought to grab a coat before coming outside. “It’s different. With...him. And he just wants me to be safe.” 

There’s a flash of anger in his eyes before his features smooth out as he shakes his head, shoulders rolling back. “Nah, you roll over and play us both, shit ain’t that different, ma.” 

Her eyes widen slightly as her mouth drops open and then she’s taking a step forward, seething as her hands curl into fists at her sides. “What is your _problem_?” She hisses, teeth clenching so hard she feels like her jaw might just snap. 

“Only problem I got is you still not gettin' your house in order. Don’t need that shit affecting my business.” 

“ _Our_ business.” She snaps, shaking her head slowly as she takes another step, this time _away_ from him. “You are unbelievable.” 

“Look, darlin’, all I’m sayin’ is—” 

“Oh, I hear what you’re saying loud and clear, _darlin_ ’.” She mocks, flushed hot with irritation. “I’ve got the drop schedule now, I think we’re done here.” 

Rio huffs out a laugh, shaking his head and she knows he’ll say something biting if she gives him the chance, so she turns away first. 

“He ain’t the only one.” His words cut through the air, sharp and Beth turns back, eyebrows snapping together.

“What does _that_ mean?” 

He pauses, letting out an aggravated sigh. “I always got people watchin’ when you close.” He tilts his chin up toward the house, eyes hard as he adds, “You’ll always be safe, Elizabeth.” )

And then she’d been left frozen in shock as he’d walked away.

Now, Beth downs her second shot, leaning forward to drop the empty cup on the table before settling back into the couch, grabbing one of the throw pillows and hugging it to her chest. 

“He didn’t even _ask_.” She points out quietly, knowing that argument is fairly weak and Annie snorts out a laugh as she refills their cups once more. “Neither did _Deansie_.” She shoots back and—okay, point taken. 

And Beth’s about to protest that third shot, she still has to drive back home after all, when the lights in the apartment go out and they’re plunged into darkness. 

“What the hell?” Annie says and Beth feels the couch shift as she stands up and she reaches into her back pocket to pull her phone out and turn on the flashlight feature. 

Annie goes from room to room, flipping switches, cussing underneath her breath when none of them work. “I don’t know what’s going on here.” 

“Did you pay your electric bill?” Beth asks from her spot on the couch and Annie whips around to glare at her. “ _Of course_ I paid my electric bill.” She snaps, then pauses for a second before carefully navigating her way over to the kitchen, picking through the messy pile of papers on the counter, making a noise of triumph as she finds the one she was looking for, holding it up and waving it in Beth’s direction. “Yes! See?” 

“Okay, well look up the number so you can call them.” Beth instructs, standing up and looking around. “Where are your candles?” 

Annie turns and digs some plastic taper candles out of one of the drawers and hands them off to Beth, who just stares back at her, eyebrows raised. 

“Ben got rid of the real candles last week...when I may or may not have accidentally knocked one over and—almost burned the place down.” It comes out low and rushed together and her eyes dart over to the coffee table and Beth turns to look, holding her phone out to shine some light on it and—

Yup, there scorched into the wood is a black mark. 

“ _Annie_.”

Before Annie can defend herself, they hear commotion out in the hall and Annie rounds the table, Beth close on her heels as she opens up her front door and peeks her head out and they see a few of her neighbors milling around out in the hall, apparently having the same power issues. 

Beth turns around and goes to look out the living room window. “It looks like it’s out for a few blocks.” She says, turning back around just as Annie closes her door. 

Annie glances around a little nervously, wringing her hands in front of her, and Beth knows Ben isn’t coming home tonight, so it’ll just be Annie here after she leaves. 

“You know what, I probably shouldn’t drive in this—” 

“Yeah, not after those shots anyway. You can stay in Ben’s room.” 

Annie grins and Beth smiles, turning on the fake candles and setting them up around the room while Annie pours them a double.

“Now, about gangfriend’s _other_ tattoos...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Does Rio even know what an owl looks like?)


	18. Day 18 Prompt - Toad

Beth lifts her legs up, curling them underneath her as she shimmies down a little deeper into the patio sofa. 

She’d sent Kenny out with Jane earlier (Emma was at a sleepover and Danny was with Dean), when she was still trying to recover from her hangover, but a nice long soak in the tub, plus a few ibuprofen, had helped immensely. Once she’d gotten dressed, she’d decided to join them out on the deck, rather than calling them back in. 

The days were getting increasingly shorter and cooler, but today was usually warm and she knows these nice days will be few and far between soon. 

Beth watches as Jane “tends” to her garden, checking up on plants, talking to them softly as she occasionally brushes her fingertips over a petal or a leaf. 

And then Beth freezes as she sees Kenny, phone in hand, hop up on _top_ of the picnic table, and start texting god knows who, and it’s—well it’s _disconcerting_ to say the least and Beth opens her mouth to tell him to sit on the god damn table the _right_ way, but she sees movement out of her peripheral vision, right before Rio plops down onto the sofa next to her. 

She barely stops herself from screaming and smacking him, and from the look on his face, she can tell he’s clocked that fact. 

“Just once, could you surprise me by actually knocking, or texting, or _something_?” 

“I don’t recall you knockin’ or textin’ when you swung by my place.” 

“ _That was one time._ ”

“Twice.” 

“What? When—” 

“You remember, darlin’. I was watchin’ when you climbed in through that window and when I called all you wanted to talk about was hard ons—” 

“Okay, first of all, _you_ brought up...” She trails off, glancing over in her kids direction, and even though she knows it's impossible for them to hear, she still lowers her voice to a harsh whisper when she continues, “ _hard ons_. And that was a long time ago.”

They’re sliding into semi-dangerous territory here, talking about _that_ time she broke into his apartment, because it wasn’t long after that...

Well, it’s dangerous. 

His eyes are boring into hers, like he can tell exactly what she’s thinking, like he’s thinking about it too and jesus, _of course_ he is, it’s not exactly like a person ever forgets the time they got _shot_ —

“Mr. _Rio_!” Beth jerks around as Jane comes running up, skidding to a stop in front of Rio and he leans forward, arms dropping down to rest on his knees, hands coming out to help stop her and god, would seeing him like this ever not cause her heart to skip a beat? 

“Is Marcus here?” Jane asks, swaying back a little on her feet now that Rio has hold of her and she knows she won’t fall. 

“Sorry little one, just me this time, he’s with his ma.” Rio replies, sounding genuinely regretful and Beth wonders, not for the first time, what exactly the arrangement is between him and Rhea. 

Jane takes this in stride, a bounce on her tiny feet followed by an “okay.” before she brings her hand up in front of her and Beth lets out a gasp as Jane holds out a frog, like she’s offering up a presentation. 

“Jane, where did you get that?” Beth asks, leaning forward, ready to make her drop it. 

“It was in the garden.” Jane replies, matter-of-fact, like this is something that Beth should just _know_ , and then she’s turning back to Rio. “Is it true that if you kiss a frog, you turn into a prince?”

“ _It_ turns into a prince, not you.” Beth corrects, eyeing the frog warily. 

“An what you got in your hand ain’t a frog, it’s a toad.” Rio adds and they both turn to stare at him. 

“How do you know?” Jane asks, holding it a little closer to her face and Beth cringes, fingers itching to snatch it away. 

“Well, see this lil’ guys feet? Frogs have webbed feet. This one doesn’t. And you feel his skin? Pretty bumpy, yeah? Frogs are smoother.” He points each feature out as he explains and Jane listens intently. 

“How do you know so much about frogs?” Beth asks, surprised. 

“Marcus is a big fan of amphibians.”

Jane’s head snaps up at that and she looks thoughtful for a second. “Do you want to take this one home to him? You can tell him I wanted him to have it.” 

“Jane, I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to keep wild things as pets.” Beth says gently, wondering if there will ever be an animal or creature her daughter doesn’t try to adopt. 

“Your mama’s right, you try to cage something wild, it’ll spend its whole life trying to claw its way out.” Rio says, staring pointedly at Beth, who glares back at him. 

“I don’t think he has claws.” Jane points out helpfully, fingers gently prodding at its feet and Beth shakes her head as her nose wrinkles up “No, baby, it doesn’t. Listen, why don’t you take it back to the garden? It’ll be fine.” 

Jane hesitates for a fraction of a second and then she’s off, running back into the yard. 

“Go wash your hands when you’re done, please!” Beth calls out, nose wrinkling up again as she thinks of all the disgusting things her daughter has decided to touch today. 

Beth glances over at Kenny, who is now sitting on the picnic table bench, still absorbed in his phone, fingers swiping across the screen faster than Beth's have ever moved. 

“So, where’s that dumbass husband o’ yours?” 

Beth whips her head back around to glare at him and he just grins at her, settling himself back into the cushions of the sofa, one arm coming down to rest along the back. 

“Not here.” She replies tersely, crossing her arms over her chest and she can feel the warmth of his skin as he brushes up against her shoulders and she tries to ignore the electric current that courses through her veins with that simple touch. 

She refuses to give him any more than that. Definitely isn’t going to tell him that she sent Dean packing this morning, careful but firm in her explanation that she was, and felt, perfectly safe without him now. 

He hums a little, and it’s low in the back of his throat and it shouldn’t be something that turns her on but...here she is, shifting in her seat as she presses her thighs together and he huffs out a laugh like he knows exactly what it does to her and she feels herself flush. 

“You’re an idiot.” She points out suddenly, feeling irritated and he stills for a moment, caught off guard, and she’s not sure why because she’s definitely made this point before, but then he tips his head back and _laughs_ and it kind of makes her want to punch him but also kiss him. 

And with his head tilted back like that, his tattoo is on full display and...god, as much as she implied she hated it with Annie, she actually finds it stupidly attractive, the urge to run her tongue along the wingspan always there in the back of her mind _every_ time she sees him. 

He cocks his head to the side as he looks at her and then he’s shifting, leaning into her and Beth momentarily forgets how annoyed she is with him. 

“When you gonna let me bend you over again, ma?” He asks, lips brushing against her cheek and Beth shivers and she sees his mouth twitch up and she remembers. 

“When you start using the doorbell.” She answers, blinking up at him as she smiles sweetly.

And that earns her another laugh and then Jane is calling out for him, demanding he come play with her and Beth starts to protest, but he stands before she can, grinning down at her before striding out into the yard, nudging Kenny off his phone to join him and Jane in a soccer game and Beth just watches from her seat on the patio, already thinking about the next time.


	19. Day 19 Prompt - Familiars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm a day late.  
> No, I don't want to talk about it.

Sometimes Beth wonders if Mick knows...

Well obviously, he knows _things_ , but she wonders if he knows _everything_.

Every sordid detail of every intimate conversation. Of every lingering touch. Of every violent encounter.

Annie and Ruby know the bare minimum, and only because they’d forced it out of her one night after plying her with drinks, but she doesn’t ever really...talk about him— _them_.

She wonders if he’s the same way, if he keeps the bits and pieces of this fractured thing between them close to his—well, close. 

And really, the very thought of him discussing any of it with Mick over drinks like she would with the girls...it’s truly _absurd_. 

( It makes her stomach flutter. )

They’re sitting at the picnic table out back of the store and Beth’s watching them both closely, Mick’s rifling through the various boxes while he talks quietly with Rio, who types something out on his phone as he nods. 

And she’s about to casually bring up the Halloween party, because neither one has confirmed they’ll be there, even though she’d specifically hand delivered both their invitations, and what better place to see how they really interact and what they talk about, where there will be booze flowing freely...

But movement in the shadows by the fence catches her eye and she turns to look, watching as a small black cat slinks out and comes trotting over. 

“Hey, baby.” Beth coos, bending down and scooping it up when it’s close enough. She scratches behind its ears, smiling as it purrs and bumps its head against her chin. “What’re you doing all the way out here?” 

“Where’d that come from?” Mick asks, and Beth glances up, surprised by the nervous set to his tone. 

“Usually it hangs around the backyard, but apparently it followed me to work today.” She says as it curls up in her lap. 

“What I tell you, ma?” Rio says, leaning over to squint at the cat in the dark. “How you even know that’s the same cat?” 

“It’s got a little spot behind its ear.” Beth explains, gently stroking over its ears as she points to the small white spot. 

“Los gato negro. Ella es una maldita bruja.” Mick starts muttering in Spanish and Rio watches him with a look of pure amusement on his face as Beth glances between the two of them. “What? What am I missing?” 

“A full moon and a black cat are bad omens.” Rio answers easily, like he’s enjoying whatever it is that’s going on here. 

“ _What_?” Beth says, laughing a little, because surely that’s a joke, but...Mick doesn’t blink, facial expression stony, and honestly, that’s not far off from the norm anyway. 

“Mick’s abuela told us stories growin’ up—” 

“Not stories, cabrón, _history_.” Mick interrupts and Rio’s eyebrows shoot up as he lifts his hands in surrender. 

“Okay so what, full moons and cats? Those are just superstitions.” Beth points out, shaking her head slightly.

“Nah, familiars are drawn to kindred spirits.” Mick shoots back, then pauses for a minute as he looks Beth over. “Cunning and malevolent folk.” He adds and— _really_? 

Beth scoffs as she rolls her eyes, petting the cat a little harder and it shifts and she softens her touch. “You’re kidding...” There’s a pause where they both just stare back at her blankly. “Okay, you’re not kidding.”

And then Rio is saying something to Mick in Spanish as he laughs, repeating that word from earlier, “Bruja.” and Mick eyes Beth suspiciously. 

Beth rolls her eyes again as she sets the cat down and Mick shifts back, but it walks right past him to Rio, headbutting his legs and rubbing up against him. 

“Are we done? I wouldn’t want to press our bad luck here.” Beth mocks as Mick glowers. 

They finish up and it’s not until Mick’s back in the car and Rio’s turning to leave, that Beth’s curiosity gets the better of her. 

“What does bruja mean?” She asks as casually as possible and Rio grins. 

“Witch.”


	20. Day 20 Prompt - Potions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize, this one got a little lengthy!   
> Thank you all for being understanding about my late posts.  
> I'm glad you're still enjoying and following along for the ride!

Beth watches from the doorway of her office as Annie takes an extra roll of white streamer and wraps it around Mick’s arm, slapping a piece of tape on it to hold before moving on to the other arm. 

He’d shown up to the Halloween party almost half an hour ago, sans costume and _Rio_ , and Annie had pouted for all of five seconds before deciding she would just DIY him a costume instead. 

Apparently, he was going to be a mummy.

Beth bets he’ll probably rethink showing up costumeless next year. 

Or coming at all. 

She’s itching to ask him about Rio, but she’s also refusing to give in to temptation. 

He’ll show up when he shows up. 

If he comes at all... 

Beth smiles as Annie moves on from Mick’s arms to his neck and head and he tries to shake her off. 

She bites her tongue on yelling for her not to be wasteful, because they could recycle the Halloween decorations that didn’t get used for other holidays. 

But it’s just too much fun watching her little sister struggle to wrap up this surly, stocky, fairly intimidating man. 

She’d forced Annie to come in earlier to help her decorate for this party, grumbling the whole way even though _she_ was the one who’d wanted to throw the damn thing, and they’d even roped Ruby in to help as well. 

They’d set up orange, black, and white balloons, streamers, banners and backdrops. Beth had added flashing lights, a fog machine, and a rented photo booth opposite the snack and drink table. 

And Annie had at least proven more than useful in that department, conjuring up some “potions” into shot glass tubes labeled ‘snake venom’ and ‘vampire blood’ and ‘witch brew’.

Beth hears a loud laugh and looks over to her left, already knowing who it is before she even sees him. 

Dean’s standing by one of the hot tubs with Eric, talking to one of the new hires, Jessica. 

Jessica’s perched on the side of the hot tub, perky and cute and smiling up at Dean as he animatedly tells some story, flinging his arms out wide, almost hitting someone behind him and then he brings them in close again, pulling a truly goofy face and _oh_ —Beth knows this story. 

She knows this facial expression and these wild gestures and she smiles as she anticipates the punchline, two seconds before all three of them start laughing and—

God, it’s... _strange_ , being on the outside looking in at these jokes now. 

They’d come to this party separately, haven’t even interacted much since it started, but she still feels his presence, still knows exactly where to look to find him at any given moment and—

There he goes, head turning, eyes searching her out now that he’s finished his story, almost on instinct. 

He smiles and nods when he spots her and she returns the gesture and then he’s turning back to the small group and she wonders if that habit will ever fade. 

Beth steps away from the office door, moving further into the store, toward the drinks. 

She smiles and greets people as she goes, a little self conscious as she adjusts the hem of her dress, pulling at it a little. 

Honestly, she should never have let Annie have any say in her costume, but she’d been feeling desperate, this being the first Halloween party she’d been to in years that wasn’t just for the children. 

She’d spotted the witch hat while shopping for Annie’s Halloween costume and had immediately thought of Mick and known it was perfect for the party. She’d originally planned to wear it on its own, but then Annie had come swooping in, talking about some black dress she’d just seen that would be perfect for it. 

Said black dress turned out to be skin tight. 

But it at least covered a fair amount of skin, with a fairly decent length and covered chest, but it had an open and plunging back. 

When Mick had shown up, he’d taken one good look at her and turned away, but Beth swears she saw a smile before he did. 

Beth grabs a tube labeled ‘poison’, trying to remember what Annie said was in each one. 

She thinks this one might be vodka and...lime juice? 

Beth glances over in Annie’s direction, hoping to get her attention, and freezes, her heart skipping a beat because...

There _he_ is. 

He’s leaning into Mick, trying to tell him something and Beth wonders what, how important and private it must be that he doesn’t want it shouted over the music playing. 

Annie’s talking to Ruby and Beth briefly wonders where Stan is before her attention is turning back to Rio. 

He’s wearing a deep blood red henley and dark jeans and she rolls her eyes because _of course_ he didn’t dress up—but then he’s moving away from Mick and Beth’s mouth drops open slightly as she sees him fully, because there on his head are _two red devil horns_. 

Beth turns away quickly, biting back her grin as she tries to focus on the tube in her hand and the pale green liquid inside. She brings it up to her lips and quickly drinks it, tossing the empty tube into the recycling bin as she glances back over her shoulder at Rio...

Except he’s gone. 

Beth turns fully then, neck craning as she tries to see through the crowd and find him again. 

She moves slowly around the outskirts of the party, eyes on the crowd, so when she reaches the photo booth, she almost screams when a hand reaches out and grabs her wrist and yanks her in. 

“What the hell is _wrong_ with you?” She hisses, shoving at Rio as she straightens herself up from where she’d been practically laid out across his lap. 

He ignores her question, eyes raking over her from head to toe and Beth pulls down at her dress where it’s ridden up, suddenly realizing how very small this photo booth is. 

“You look good mama. Suits you.” He observes with a smirk, still entirely too close for her brain to function properly. 

“Could say the same for you.” She retorts, reaching up and poking at his horns and he grins as he snatches her hand and brings it down to his mouth, biting at one of her knuckles and Beth yelps as she yanks it away from him. 

“Or maybe a vampire would’ve been more on brand.” She corrects, rubbing her finger over the mark he’s left and then she sucks in a sharp breath as he leans in close, mouth right next to her ear. “I can be both if that’s what you’re into, sweetheart.” 

“ _You know what I’m into_ —” 

“Lemme guess, people who knock?” 

And he has the nerve to laugh, because of course he would think his own jokes are just hilarious. 

“Why are you even in here? Do you actually show up in pictures or do you ghost out of those as well?” 

And there he goes, laughing again and making her want him so badly she can taste it. 

“I don’t know, ma, why don’t we find out.” He says it like it’s a challenge and she furrows her eyebrows, biting at her bottom lip because _she’s_ serious...

“I’m serious, you have to take pictures like a normal person.” She says slowly and Rio rolls his eyes as his jaw clenches.

“I take pictures like a normal person, you let me bend you over that desk.” 

And just— _what_?

“No one said this was a negotiation.” 

“But ain’t it more fun if it is?” 

She glares at him and he just stares right back and she feels a flush creeping across her chest the longer she lets this silent battle stretch out. 

“Fine.” Beth reaches over and slaps her hand down on the button to start the pictures. 

The booth lights up in a soft glow, a voice coming over the little speakers to give directions and tips for the best pictures, but Rio and Beth are just staring at each other, still caught in this moment, neither one willing or able to break it, and Beth’s already cataloging every detail, right down to the lick of his lips and the slow blink of his eyes as he brings his hand up, brushing it over her cheek just as the flash goes off for the first picture. 

And then Beth is practically crawling into his lap in the already limited space, and her skirt is too tight, she can’t position her legs the way she wants so she just ends up sitting in his lap as she slides her hands around to the back of his neck, gripping it tightly as she pulls him into a kiss. 

She pushes down on him, smacking his head against the wall as she grinds her ass into his lap and he groans against her mouth, arms coming up to wrap tightly around her and squeeze. 

The flash keeps going off until the pictures are all done and they have to pull apart to come up for air. 

And then there’s a knock against the side of the booth and a tentative question of whether they’re done or not and Rio shifts Beth off his lap, moving past her to exit the booth first, leaning off to the side and then reaching in and tugging her out by the hand. 

He makes a beeline straight for her office and Beth feels like her whole body is on fire with the way he pulls her through the crowd, the sense of urgency he always seems to feel when it comes to— _this_ , to them, makes her chest _ache_ with want.

He steps aside so she can go in first and then closes and locks the door, going around to each window and shutting the blinds and Beth laughs as she takes her witch hat off and tosses it aside, running her fingers through her hair. “You’ve never been very subtle.” 

“I’ve never been a lot o’ things before you, darlin’.” 

Beth glances over her shoulder and sees he’s done with the blinds, just standing and watching her now, and the laser focus he has, has her feeling a bit bold as her hands find the hem of her dress, fingers hooking in to shimmy the fabric up and over her ass as she leans over the desk, planting her hands firmly on top and she sucks in a sharp breath when he’s instantly on her, hands sliding over her ass, down her thighs, swiping between her legs like he craves every inch of her skin and he doesn’t know where to start first. 

Her breath quickens, breasts straining against her dress as her chest heaves a little and then his mouth is biting at her shoulder as she rocks back against him, and he’s plastering himself to her back, pushing her down with his body as he shoves things off the desk, until she’s pressed flat against it. 

He rocks himself against her a little, grinding into her, the rough fabric of his jeans rubbing over the silk of her underwear and jesus, Beth really thinks she could come just like this. 

He continues his slow assault on her senses even as he lifts up, his fingertips trailing down the expanse of exposed skin at her back. He leans down and places a single kiss along her spine and Beth shivers as she pushes back against him. 

She thinks he can sense her impatience, because he _slows down_ even more and she whines in frustration. 

“You need something, baby?” He asks, laughter in his voice and Beth pushes herself halfway up. “You are so _annoying_.” 

But then he’s placing a flat palm against her back and pushing her back down, growling out a “ _Stay_.” that has wet heat shooting low and jesus, she thinks she’s soaked through her underwear already and he’s barely touched her. 

He reaches down and yanks her underwear off and then he’s bending down and biting one of her ass cheeks and Beth jerks against the desk as she gasps. 

She swings her arm back to smack him and he grabs her wrist, pinning it against the small of her back as his other hand unzips his jeans and Beth tries to pull her hand away, but his grip just tightens and then he’s kicking at her feet, spreading her legs further apart right before he pushes into her and Beth bites down on her lip to stop from crying out, her free hand smacking against the top of the desk. 

“Fuck, Elizabeth...drive me fuckin’ crazy.” He husks, pressing into her wrist harder as he pulls out slowly and then thrusts back in just as slowly, repeating the motion again and again and again until Beth feels like she can’t take anymore. 

“God, Rio _please_...” She breathes out trying to pull at her wrist once more, and this time he lets her go, pulling out of her and yanking her up and spinning her around, dropping her right on top of the desk before pushing into her again just as his thumb swipes over her clit and Beth sees stars, eyes closing as her hand yanks at Rio’s shirt and he kisses her, swallowing her moans as she comes. She slumps against him and he slows his thrusts into short shallow ones as he places soft kisses along her neck and collarbone and lips. 

And then he’s gathering her up close in his arms, holding her tight as he fucks into her fast and hard, chasing after his own orgasm, and she strokes her hands over his hair and neck and shoulders, shivering a little when she feels him come inside of her. 

They stay like that, clinging to one another, for awhile and Beth thinks this might be her favorite part.

This part right after, when he’s still inside of her, the hard, sharp planes of his body pressed so firmly, so _surely_ , against her soft curves, breathing heavily against her skin as he presses open mouthed kisses there. 

This part when he’s soft and pliant and trembles beneath her gentle touch. 

He gently pulls out of her and she lets out a shuddering breath as she keeps a grip on his arm, keeping him close and he chuckles as he pulls his clothing back into place and reaches over, grabbing a few tissues from the box that’s knocked over next to her, gently wiping between her legs, and then tossing the tissue in the trash bin. 

Beth looks up at him and laughs as she realizes he’s still wearing the horns, although a bit more lopsided now. 

He grins as he reaches up and takes them off, slipping them onto her head instead, hands sliding through her hair, tugging her head back as he pulls her into another kiss. 

“ _Diabla_...” He murmurs against her lips and Beth thinks she can probably guess what _that_ means.

He pulls away from her, reaching down to grab her underwear and help her slide them back on and then he helps her off the desk to pull her dress back into place. 

“You go first.” She says, still feeling a little wobbly on her legs as she pats at her hair, and swipes at her eye makeup. 

She turns around, surveying the mess scattered across the floor and she’s about to bend down and pick up her witch hat when she feels him behind her as he presses his hand into hers. “See you out there.” He whispers in her ear, lips brushing against her shoulder and then he’s gone and Beth lifts her hand up, unfurling her fingers to look at the slip of photo paper he’d pressed into her palm— the top half of the pictures of them from the photo booth.


	21. Day 21 Prompt - Garden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued apologies for being several days behind.  
> Life, y'know?  
> Anyway, I'm trying my best to play catch up!  
> Thank you very much for the kudos/comments, ya'll are really very sweet!

Beth reaches up and wipes at her forehead, trying not to wince as she feels a smear of dirt from her glove mix in with the sweat she’s trying to wipe off there.

And _great_ , she thinks, letting out a sigh as she carefully surveys the garden in front of her. 

She really should stop, take a break, or just...leave it for another day. But Dean has the kids today and if she doesn’t do it now...

“Yo.” 

Beth startles a little, her hand coming out to brace herself against the ground where she’s been kneeling for the better part of the day, digging up and repotting various plants. 

Rio steps into view before she can turn around and she blinks up at him, the late evening sun casting a soft glow over him. 

“Hi.” She says softly, wishing just _once_ he’d warn her before coming over. She’s sure she looks a mess. 

“Little late to be gardening.” He lifts his chin toward the plants and Beth sighs again as she stabs her trowel into the soft loose dirt and pushes herself up to stand. 

“Yeah? You an expert on this as well?” She asks, slightly teasing as she pulls her gloves off and drops them on the ground next to the trowel. 

“Sister’s big on gardening. Real annoying about it too.” 

Beth freezes for a second, unsure of how to react to the news of a _sister_ , but Rio’s already moving on, like he hasn’t just casually dropped a bomb in her lap. “Doin’ some fall cleanin’?” 

“Uh, yeah something like that.” She manages to choke out, still stuck on _a_ _sister_. "It’ll get colder soon and this will probably be the last time I can tend to it before we...and well, the new places we’ve been looking at are...smaller. Not as much room for gardens...” Beth trails off with a nervous little laugh and a shrug when she realizes she’s rambling, quickly glancing away from him. 

God, what the hell was even happening here? 

Ever since the Halloween party, she’s felt...off kilter, to say the least. The fact that they keep falling into bed together...and well, not even necessarily a bed every time anyway—but the fact that it keeps happening is something she’s not sure she can fully come to terms with right now. 

This steady progression of this...this _thing_ between them—the fact that he took the bottom half of that photo strip...

“We?” Rio asks, interrupting her thoughts and her eyes snap up to his, squinting in confusion and his jaw rocks forward as he shoves his hands into his pockets. “ _We_ been lookin’ at new places.” He adds and—oh. 

“Well, _I’ve_ mostly been looking, but...Dean’s been helping.” She answers weakly, not sure how much she’s supposed to offer...how much he’s _looking_ for. 

He hums, glancing away, and his posture is still stiff so she’s guessing that’s _not_ what he wanted to hear. 

“He’s already moved out, into an apartment of his own. The house is for me and the kids.” She clarifies quietly and his head whips around as he stares down at her and she swallows thickly as his mouth twitches up and then he’s reaching out, gently wiping at her forehead with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

“C’mon, lemme help you get cleaned up, yeah?” 

After a long shower, where he did a lot more than help her clean up, Rio’s sitting at the end of Beth’s bed, typing something out on his phone while she finishes getting dressed. 

She picks up her comb, gently running it through her hair, trying to think of a way to ask more details about this sister. But before she can even open her mouth to say anything, he’s standing up, pocketing his phone and striding across the room. “I gotta go.” He says once he comes to a stop behind her, looking at her through the dresser mirror and she narrows her eyes at him. 

“You never mentioned why you stopped by in the first place.” 

He slowly looks her over, grinning and Beth whirls around and shoves at him. “Did you just come over here to have _sex_ with me?” 

“Ouch, ma, why you gotta be so rough?” He pouts and Beth almost throws her comb at him. 

“So...so this is what we’re doing then.” She says, eyes dropping to the floor as she twirls the comb between her fingers, nibbling at her bottom lip. 

“This is what we been doin’, Elizabeth.” It’s a statement, matter of fact, and she can tell he’s more than a little exasperated with her--like this is something she should just _know_.

His phone goes off again and he lets out a deep sigh and then he’s crowding her up against the dresser, placing both hands on either side of her, caging her in. 

“You want it?” And god, the way her mind flashes back to the time in his loft, it makes her dizzy. 

But they’re not _there_ anymore—they’re not in the same place, not the same people. 

His hand slides down and around, yanking her off the dresser and into him and she gasps as her hands fly up to grab his arms and steady herself. She glares up at him, but he’s doing the same, mad at _her_ for some reason and okay— _fine_. 

“ _Yes_.” She finally snaps, still glaring up at him. 

“Okay.” 

“Okay.” 

He slides his other hand up into her hair and grips her tight as he pulls her into a kiss and then smacks her ass, _hard_ , before turning and leaving. 

Later, when she goes out to check her mail, there’s an envelope with her name in his messy scrawl. 

There are several small brown seed packets with white labeling on them inside, with a note attached. 

‘ _For the new place_.’


	22. Day 22 Prompt - Cauldron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am definitely going to finish these prompts! They just might carry over into November haha.  
> Continued thanks for your patience/kudos/comments!

“You’re different.” 

Beth stops mid stir, lifting the wooden cooking spoon out of the stock pot and carefully setting it on top of the spoon rest. 

“What are you talking about?” She asks, folding her arms across her chest and leaning back against the counter. 

Annie leans forward, placing her empty wine glass down on the counter and Beth automatically reaches over and picks up the open bottle of wine and refills it. 

“There’s something going on with you. You’re whole...” She pauses, waves her hand around, gesturing at Beth, “vibe is different. Like, relaxed.” 

“Cheerful, even.” Ruby inputs beside her and they both sound so suspicious that Beth has to laugh as she turns back to the soup. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Although I don’t see how being relaxed or cheerful is a bad thing.” 

“Well, for anyone else, no. For _you_...” Annie trails off as Ruby makes a noise of agreement next to her and Beth sighs as she sets the spoon down again, turning the heat on the stovetop low to let it simmer. 

“What is _that_ supposed to mean?” 

“C’mon B, it’s not like you’re the most chill person in the world.” 

“ _I can be chill_ —” Beth cuts herself off when she realizes how high pitched her words are coming out and she clears her throat, reaching for her own wine glass and taking a drink. 

Annie and Ruby exchange looks, and Ruby at least has the decency to hold back her smile, but Annie outright _laughs_.

“You are like, the queen of totally not chill.” Annie says and Beth sets her glass down hard on the counter as she glares at her. 

“What is your problem?” 

“It’s _him_ , isn’t it?” Annie suddenly accuses, eyes zeroing in on Beth’s face, like she’s searching for something. 

Beth freezes, lips parting slightly as she looks from Annie to Ruby and back again and then she turns away, heart beating so hard in her chest she thinks they can probably hear it. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She repeats quietly. 

She can hear the creak of the chair as Annie settles back into her seat. “We’re not dumb, Beth. We—we’ve been talking and—” 

Beth slowly turns back around, not bothering to hide the hurt and disbelief on her face or in her voice. “You’ve been talking about me?”

“Well, about you and _gangfriend_.” Annie hastily clarifies, trying to fix what she’s started. “And we’re not blind, we saw you at the Halloween party, with your matchy, coupley costumes—”

Beth looks away as she shakes her head. “Okay, first of all, we were hardly around each other at the Halloween party, and our costumes were _not_ matchy or...coupley.” 

“Oh, please, you guys were practically eye fucking the whole time—” 

“I think what your sister is so _graciously_ trying to say,” Ruby interrupts and Annie scoffs as she rolls her eyes and picks up her wine glass, “is that you don’t have to hide this from us. We can—we can _see_ it, B. Everyone can see it.”

Beth slowly turns her gaze back to them and she’s prepared for a fight, prepared for judgement but...

Mostly she finds...sympathy?

She waits and beat and then—

“Okay...” She says it slowly, carefully, and it’s just as much an acknowledgment of what’s been said as it is a confirmation. 

“Oh, you sneaky little—” Annie leans across the countertop again, eyes wild with absolute glee at that one loaded word and Ruby has to reach out and push her back into her chair. 

“Look, we will never even pretend to understand or be okay with what goes on between you and homeboy, but we are here for you, for...whatever.” Ruby says, giving Annie’s arm a tiny pinch and she yelps as she pulls away, but quickly nods in agreement. 

Beth smiles as she averts her eyes again, staring hard at the floor for a minute as she tries to get her bearings. 

“He’s...” She trails off, swallows hard, takes a deep breath in before continuing. “He’s coming over...later.” 

She tucks her hair behind her ear at the thought of it, lifting her eyes to finally take in their expressions and they’ve actually managed to look fairly neutral at the news, although Annie looks like she’s ready to burst at the seams. 

And not even two seconds after Ruby’s quiet “Okay.” Annie finally lets go with a rushed out, barely contained, “Okay, but can we _please_ talk about how you must have the most magical vagina in Detroit for gangfriend to _still_ wanna bang after _three to the chest_?” 

Ruby lets out a fairly horrified laugh at that and Beth glares, taking Annie’s wine glass away as punishment, as Annie apologizes profusely, trying to grab it back.


	23. Day 23 Prompt - Candle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all don’t mind the fact that this prompt series won’t be completed until after Halloween!  
> Apologies again for falling a bit behind!  
> This is completely shameless, totally convoluted smut.  
> You know what you came for.

Beth lets out a sigh as she lifts her arms up above her head, lacing her fingers together to stretch, arching her back a little as she rolls her neck out. 

Her and Rio have been going over the books for the better part of the evening and she’s starting to feel it. 

They’d started out at the hot tub store after finding a discrepancy, before moving to Rio’s.

It’s the first time she’s been here, hadn’t even realized this was where they were headed at first, assuming they’d be going to hers. 

But he hadn’t said anything at her questioning look when he’d passed the exit for her place, so she’d settled back and watched quietly as the scenery changed outside her window, surprised when they stopped just outside the city, a long winding driveway leading up to a brick and dark wood bungalow, and she’d been so shocked, he’d had to come over and open her door and coax her out of the car before she snapped out of it. 

And she’d bitten her tongue on asking if this was actually his place, because she’s honestly not sure how she would feel if he answered with a no...or worse—if he answered with a _yes_. 

And it definitely hadn’t been what she was expecting after his loft. 

They’re in the kitchen now, a mess of papers and pens and his laptop spread out in front of them on the kitchen island. 

She rolls her head back up and opens her eyes to find Rio’s gaze piercing her hungrily and she realizes her shirt has ridden up, breasts straining against the material with her stretch, and she immediately drops her arms, heat kissing her cheeks as her eyes widen slightly. “ _Stop._ ” 

“What?” He asks, not nearly innocently enough, heat still there in his gaze and she shakes her head as she slides off her stool, slipping around to the other side to grab the bourbon bottle he’d brought out earlier.

She’s feeling a little tipsy as she tops off their drinks and she realizes it probably has something to do with the fact that they completely missed dinner. 

When she voices this out loud, he seems just as surprised as her at the realization. He suggests ordering in, which she immediately nixes, because surely he has _something_ they can whip up in this ginormous kitchen of his?

“I’m hardly here, I don’t keep this place stocked like that, Elizabeth.” 

And—well that’s disappointing to hear. So, this wasn’t really ‘his place’ then. 

“Oh, c’mon, I’m sure you have something, I’ve been known to work some miracles...” Beth trails off as she opens his fridge, seeing it near empty. 

Well, shit. 

She lets out a sigh and she hears his laugh behind her and she bites back a smile to turn and shoot him a glare before turning back to the open fridge. 

And that’s when she sees them. 

“How do you feel about pancakes for dinner?” She asks faintly, reaching in to pull out the package of blueberries, feeling a flush creep over her chest as she remembers the story she told—well, _the story_. 

“Yeah, think I got some pancake mix up in the cupboard.” Rio says, distracted as he shuffles through some papers.

Beth snorts, shaking her head as she tosses the blueberries down on top of the counter, closing the fridge door before turning to face him. “Do you have flour? Baking soda? Sugar?” 

Rio drops the papers in front of him, folding his hands together as he stares her down. “I have pancake mix. Top shelf, to the left.” 

And Beth opens her mouth to retort, but the power goes out, plunging them into darkness, and a soft gasp escapes instead and she hears Rio cuss right before the scrape of the stool against the tile floor fills the room as he pushes it back to stand. 

He quickly turns his cell phone light on, shining it low her way. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, fine.” She confirms and she can barely see his nod before he moves away and she pulls her own phone out to use as a light as she follows him. 

While he checks on the circuit breaker she moves to the front of the house, glancing out the living room windows. 

“Breakers fine.” He says when he joins her in the living room, sounding mildly annoyed, as he types something out on his phone. 

“It looks like your whole neighborhood is out. The same thing happened to Annie not too long ago.” Beth says, and when he looks up at her, skeptical, she rolls her eyes. “Yes, she paid her bill. It was an issue with the company.” 

He hums, looking her over in that same way he had before. “Guess we got a few hours to burn then, yeah?” He says, stepping closer and Beth’s heart rate kicks up. 

“ _You_ should call the company.” She points out, side stepping him as she uses her phone to light the way back to the kitchen. “Do you have candles?” 

She hears him huff out a laugh behind her. “Yeah, ma.” 

They locate the few candles he has, plus some matches, because apparently Mick stole the one lighter Rio had on hand and never gave it back. 

And Beth’s watching him as she strikes the matches, as she lights the wick, watching his every movement as he makes his phone call, and after when he’s texting, Mick probably—

“Ouch! _Shit_.” Beth hisses, immediately dropping the match she’d just burned herself on, watches as it goes out before it even hits the floor. She waves her hand out briefly before bringing her thumb up, wincing as she sucks it into her mouth. 

Rio’s on her in a flash, gently pulling her toward the sink and running water over her hand and Beth tries to focus on that, rather than him pressed so close next to her, face full of concentration as he pulls her hand out from under the running water after a few minutes, patting it dry, then squeezing it as he looks down at her. “Better?” 

And the way the candlelight is flickering, casting dancing shadows across both of them, has her breath catching in her throat, and she can’t—

Beth reaches up and slides her hand around the back of his neck, yanking him down into a kiss and she thinks she catches him off guard when he grunts against her mouth, and then his arms are circling her waist, pulling her close and Beth’s feet are barely touching the floor as he pushes her up against the counter, hands sliding down over her ass, lifting her up and then setting her down on top of it and her hand comes down to steady herself and smacks right into the carton of blueberries, knocking it over and crushing some underneath her palm. 

She squeaks as she pulls away from him, bringing her hand up to squint at in the low light and Rio chuckles as he grabs it, his tongue flicking over the smear of juice at the fleshy part of her palm before biting down and she inhales sharply, shoving at him as he grins at her. 

And then she’s pulling him into a kiss again, tasting the blueberry on his tongue as he swipes it over hers and she’s shoving her hands underneath his shirt, wanting, _needing_ , to feel his skin under her fingertips. 

And apparently he feels the same, because his hands are sliding underneath her blouse, up her sides and then back down and around to the small of her back, fingers pressing in slightly and she shivers. 

Then his fingers are hooking into the bottom of her blouse and yanking up as he pulls away just enough to tear it off and toss it aside. Her bra quickly follows and then he’s mouthing at her breasts and Beth’s hands grasp at him as she arches into it, rocking into him as her head falls back. 

His hands move to her hips as he lifts her off the counter and her legs tighten around his waist as he swings her around and expertly makes his way through the darkened house, down the hallway and into what she can only assume is his bedroom. 

He drops her in the middle of the bed and before she can even react, he’s yanking her pants and underwear off and she’s suddenly aware that she is now incredibly naked and he is still very much dressed. 

She squints in the dark, hands reaching out to grab him, but he grabs her first, hands wrapping around her wrists and pushing them into the bed on either side of her head. He’s kneeling over her, in between her legs now and she swallows thickly, squirming underneath his grip. 

“You got any idea how often I’ve pictured this?” He murmurs, leaning into nip at her ear and Beth shifts, exhaling a low moan as she rocks her hips up, desperate for...god, something. _Anything_. 

He chuckles low, his breath fanning out across her hot skin, causing a chill to travel down her spine. “You sprawled out, naked in my bed. Wet and begging.” 

“I do not _beg_.” Beth snaps, yanking at her wrists, but Rio doesn’t let go. 

“Oh, but you will, mama.” 

Beth shivers at the promise in his voice. 

He lowers his body, settling himself in between her legs and Beth inhales sharply as he grinds his denim clad erection against her naked cunt. 

It’s rough against her in the _best way_ , and she yanks down on her wrists, wanting to get her hands on him, wanting to get her hands _around_ him, but he holds fast, stopping his movements the more she tries to free herself. 

“ _Rio_...” She whines, pouting up at him and his face is close enough she can see him grin. 

“You need somethin’, darlin’?” He teases, just like he had at the Halloween party and Beth drops the pout, replacing it with a scowl. “You are _such_ a dick.”

“Yeah, you like dick though.” He shoots back, grinding down against her again and she rolls her eyes and then gasps when he ducks his head down to bite at her chin. 

His mouth moves to her neck, to her ear, and it’s not long before she’s squirming beneath him again, unconsciously tugging at her wrists as her breath quickens. “Will you just—” She cuts off with a gasp when his head ducks even lower, biting at the side of her breast before sucking her nipple into his mouth and heat shoots low and she’s embarrassed just thinking about the wet spot she must be leaving on the front of his jeans. 

He moves from one breast to the other and back again and Beth’s really rethinking the whole begging thing when he finally let’s go of one of her wrists and she almost lets out a sigh of relief, but he’s just moving it to his other hand so he has one free to roam over body and Beth almost screams in frustration. 

“So, god damn soft...perfect.” He murmurs against her skin, his hand cupping her breast, thumb swiping over her nipple before slowly sliding down, skimming over her belly button then hipbone, making her stomach quiver, a soft moan escaping her lips when his fingers dip lower...

She rolls her hips as her head tilts back, her fingernails digging into her palms, and _god_ , she just needs him to...to...

“Tell me.” He demands, his touch so feather light she thinks she might go insane, goosebumps erupting over her skin, and she won’t beg, she _won’t_ , but—

“ _Touch me_.” She breathes out, chin coming down so she can look at him and he grins up at her as he slides two fingers over and then _inside_ of her, husking out a “Like that?” right before his mouth latches back onto her breast and Beth’s whole body jerks as she whimpers out a “ _Yes_.”

He immediately crooks his fingers up as his thumb swipes over her clit and Beth clenches around them so hard, he lets out a groan, surging up to capture her lips in another kiss as he starts to move his fingers and Beth yanks down on her arms one last time, and he finally, _finally_ , frees her and her hands are instantly at the hem of his shirt, dragging it up and over his head, desperate to feel his bare skin against hers and it gets stuck on his one arm because his fingers are still inside of her and she moans out a protest when he pulls them out to yank it the rest of the way off, but then she’s momentarily distracted as she pushes him up, sitting up with him to get to his pants and underwear and work those off as well. 

“So impatient.” He teases and she reaches out and pinches his side and he huffs out a laugh as he grabs her hand and pushes her back down onto the bed, resuming his position between her legs again now that he’s naked. 

His eyes make a slow journey down her body and then back up and Beth resists the urge to cover herself, to tell him to stop, to be self-conscious. 

All of her self doubts melt away under his gaze. Under his touch and his words. 

They are replaced by want. 

By need.

“You look real good in my bed, darlin’.” He says, hand coming down to stroke himself and Beth sucks her bottom lip in between her teeth, her hands twitching at her sides with the want, the _need_ , to touch him.

He clocks it, because of course he does, and grins, leaning down over her, one hand planted by the side of her head as the other continues to stroke down his length and she can’t help the way her eyes drift down to watch. 

And then he’s reaching over, grabbing her hand and bringing it up to his cock, and she lets out a soft little sigh as her tiny fingers finally wrap around his thick length, his hand still covering hers, and _god_ , is it normal to ache for someone in the way she aches for him? 

To crave him the way she does, despite, or maybe even _because of_ , everything that’s happened between them? 

He starts thrusting into her hand as it picks up tempo, and she nudges him down, lifting her hips up at the same time, lining him up and he finally, finally, _finally_ sinks down into her and they both groan as he bottoms out, pausing for a moment before lifting up and then sliding back in and Beth’s arms come up to wrap around his neck, pulling him down into another kiss, wanting to feel the press of his body against hers. 

He sets a slow, languid pace, building that low familiar heat and pressure in her belly, until she can feel it throughout her entire body, until she _is_ begging him _harder, faster_ , and he’s finally giving in, hiking her legs up high around his waist, grabbing her wrists up again in one hand while his other finds her clit, fucking into her relentlessly, until her heads thrown back and her body stiffens and she’s falling into her orgasm so hard she feels like she might pass out. 

She clenches and clenches and _clenches_ , pulling him right along with her and he cusses low as he comes, hips still grinding against hers even as he collapses on top of her. 

And she gladly takes his weight, loves the feel of him like this, sated and boneless. 

He shifts off of her after a minute, reaching out to fumble for the tissue box on his bed side table in the dark. 

He cleans them both off and then tosses the tissue into what she’s assuming is a nearby wastebasket, before pulling her into him. 

And she’s just started to let her head become overwhelmed with... _thoughts_ , when the power kicks back on, the hallway light spilling into the open doorway and illuminating the bedroom. 

“Are you still hungry?” She asks softly after a beat, needing a distraction, and he huffs out a laugh as he gives her a tight squeeze. 

“Yeah ma, let’s go make some pancakes.”


	24. Trick or Treat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter of Hauntober prompts!  
> I am terribly sorry this took me so long to post, I hope you enjoy!  
> Thank you all for your kudos, comments, and your continued patience!  
> It's been fun!

A light breeze flows in through the open kitchen window, fluttering the curtains and sending a chill down Beth’s spine. She tugs at her sleeves a little, debating on whether or not she wants to close it. 

She’s pulled from the thought as Annie comes bouncing into the kitchen, empty wine glass in hand. 

“Hey, what’s up, you forget why you came in here?” She jokes, rounding the island to grab the still unopened wine bottle in front of Beth. 

“Yeah, sorry. Just a little...distracted.” Beth sighs, absentmindedly picking up the bottle opener and handing it over to Annie, who rolls her eyes as she takes it. 

“Dong fog.” Annie mutters and Beth’s head jerks up as she squints over at her sister, unsure if she heard her correctly. 

“I’m sorry, what?” 

Annie cocks her head to the side as she starts to refill her glass. “Look I get it, hell I've even been there, everyone deserves a good dicking down—” 

“ _Annie_!” 

“What? I’m on your side here—” 

“Annie, please, I’m begging you—” 

“Do you guys need any help?” 

Annie and Beth both turn to see Diane coming to a slow stop on the opposite side of the island. She grins as she glances between the two of them and Beth flushes, even as she automatically returns the smile, trying not to think too hard on how much she might’ve overheard. 

Beth starts to shake her head, the ‘no’ slipping out past her lips just as Annie nods her head vigorously, a sly smile spreading across her face. 

“Actually, Krystal—” 

“Oh gosh, please, call me Diane. Krystal’s more just my stage name for Sweet P’s.” 

Annie’s grin widens. “Right. Well, _Diane_ , we’re having some...man issues.” 

“Annie.” Beth shoots her a warning glare; which Annie happily ignores. 

“Oh, who isn’t, ya know? Men and issues go hand in hand.” 

“Right? So, imagine if you will, dating the equivalent of a cryptid—” 

“Like Big Foot?” 

“ _Exactly_ like Big Foot, thank you! So, this particular one is just _so hard_ to nail down, ya know, kinda like jello—” 

Beth lets out a loud sigh, her hand coming up to pinch at the bridge of her nose as she closes her eyes. 

“We are _not_ dating and there are _no_ issues.” 

Annie shoots her a look, mouth twisting up as she squints at her and Beth rolls her eyes but backtracks. “Okay fine, so there are _some_ issues.” 

“You wouldn’t believe the amount of... _clients_ that come into the club with commitment issues.” 

“Oh, I’m not looking for commitment.” Beth says with a derisive snort and Annie raises her eyebrows. “I’m _not_. I just got out of a twenty year commitment, I am not looking for another one of those.” 

“Okay, so what are you looking for?” Diane asks and Beth actively avoids eye contact with both of them as she stares down into her wine glass. 

“I’m not exactly...sure. I’ve never done this before.” Beth says quietly and when she finally looks up, Diane and Annie both look sympathetic and Beth grabs the wine bottle, pouring herself a generous amount and then takes a long drink before refilling again. 

“You know what, it’s fine. The...arrangement we currently have is perfectly fine—” 

“Please, I would never use the word fine to describe either one of you—” Annie starts, shaking her head and Beth glares at her. “Well, it’s a good thing no one asked you then, Annie.” She grits out, jaw clenching. 

“I’m just saying, unless you two are mind readers, you are nowhere near perfectly fine cause your communication sucks.” She laughs and then her eyes light up as she bounces slightly on her feet. “ _Oh_ , you know, you should talk to somebody.” 

“Like a therapist?” Beth asks, eyebrows snapping together, confused. 

“No, like a psychic!” 

“Annie—” 

“No, I swear they can like, read your future.” Annie insists, taking a drink from her glass. 

“Like palm reading?” Beth asks, eyebrows still furrowed as she contemplates Annie’s absurd idea. 

“No, like those cards.” 

“Oh, yes, I know someone who comes into the club, I could totally hook you up.” Diane inputs helpfully and Beth lets a small laugh escape as she grabs the wine bottle and her glass. 

“The last time I opened a fortune cookie it was empty. I don’t think I want to know anything a psychic has to tell me.” She says, making her way around the kitchen island to join the others back out in the living room, hoping to put an end to this conversation. 

Annie doesn’t let it go however, insistent in her inquires as to Diane’s...connections—pulling Stan, and then eventually Ruby, into the conversation along the way. 

Thankfully, the original reason behind the topic seems to have been lost as they delve further into the subject of the supernatural. 

The kids are running around, all in various states of costume dress, as it gets closer to trick or treat time. 

It’s a running tradition to gather here, at Beth’s house, to get ready and this year is especially bittersweet since it will be the last before they move. 

Dean had, thankfully, begged off this year, citing a work dinner, but Beth seriously doubts the “work” aspect of it. 

And she thinks about how that would have bothered her before, but now— 

She glances around the living room, watches as Stan refills Ruby’s glass and she leans into him, eyes a little glassy as she presses a wordless thank you to his cheek. Watches Diane place a hand against Annie’s arm as she laughs at something she said, Annie grinning back at her. Watches as Ben and Sara and Kenny whisper amongst themselves, trying to act like they’re too cool for Halloween anymore, but she sees the excitement just below the surface, waiting to break free. Watches as the younger ones run around, flapping their capes and clashing their swords and giggling and— 

Well, she can’t bother to be bothered anymore, because everyone she truly cares about is here with her, one last time, for one last holiday, before their lives shift—change into something new. 

Well, _almost_ everyone anyway... 

And she’s barely finished having the thought when the front doorbell rings and she glances at the time. 

Still early for trick or treaters. 

She sets down her glass and goes to answer the door and her breath catches in her throat when she’s met with Rio and Marcus. 

“Trick or treat!” They both say at the same time, Marcus’ high pitched excitement mingling with Rio’s low rumbled amusement in a way that makes Beth’s heart just...melt. 

She laughs as she steps aside to let them both in, reaching into the bowl next to the door to drop some candy into Marcus’ bucket, her hand coming out automatically to ruffle his hair. 

He grins up at her and she can’t help but grin back because he really is the cutest kid, dressed up as a skeleton, face paint and all and Beth can’t help but imagine Rio working diligently to get his son ready for the night. 

And it—yeah, it does things to her. 

Marcus is off in search of the others before her or Rio have even stepped away from the front door. 

“Where’s mine?” Rio asks, reaching past her to shut the door and he’s leaning in so close Beth’s pressed up against it before she even realizes what’s happening. 

“Your...what?” She asks, a little breathless and more than a little confused, his sudden proximity mixed with the wine she’s already had making her feel light headed. 

“My treat.” He murmurs, nosing at her hair as his hands come up to press into the door on either side of her, caging her in, and Beth briefly closes her eyes as she tilts her head to the side, his mouth so close— 

“You’re not even wearing a costume.” She points out, hands coming up to tug at his hoodie strings and he laughs, breath fanning out across her hair and she smiles. 

“C’mon ma, I used the doorbell and everything.” 

This time it’s Beth who laughs, hands pressing into his chest to shove him away and he backs off easily, but not without pouting down at her and she side steps him as she clears her throat, trying to shake off the heat that he’s constantly bringing with him, lighting her up like an inferno, inside and out. 

“The kids are almost ready to go.” She says, glancing back at him over her shoulder and sees him eyeing her ass. “Behave.” She adds and his eyes finally snap up to hers as he grins, completely unabashed. 

He follows her into the living room and the others greet him, with various degrees of warmth and wariness. 

Beth starts to lead him into the kitchen, mentally flipping through what she has that he’ll drink, but they’re cut off by Jane, who already has Marcus by the arm. 

Her small hand reaches out to tug on Rio’s sleeve and he shoots Beth a look before he’s letting her drag him off, talking about Milo the black cat and the costume she (aka _Beth_ ) has made just for it. 

Beth continues on toward the kitchen, grabbing two bottles of water for Rio and Marcus and then heading back into the living room, setting them down on one of the side tables. 

The adults help wrangle the kids up, finishing up costumes and makeup and then there’s a bit of chaos as they all gather by the front door, sorting out bags and buckets and shoes and jackets. 

Stan had volunteered to take the kids around this year, letting the girls stay behind to enjoy some time alone together. 

When Rio hears the plan, _he_ volunteers to join him and Beth freezes, convinced she must have heard him wrong at first, but then he’s moving past her, squeezing her hand in what she assumes is supposed to be a reassuring gesture, as he does and then they’ve all piled out the door and it's closing behind them, leaving her in the shocked silence that follows. 

And the others pounce almost immediately—Annie absolutely delighted at the turn of events, Ruby just as shocked, but softened by the alcohol buzzing through her, and Diane watching on with quiet curiosity. 

“I can’t believe you are living a life where your hot crime lord boyfriend shows up on Halloween and just takes your kids out trick or treating, no questions asked.” Annie observes, finishing off her glass of wine and Beth burrows herself further down into the couch, hoping she’ll shut up. 

She doesn’t, of course. 

“When did you get to be so cool?” Annie asks, nudging Beth with her elbow before getting up to refill her glass and Beth holds her own out silently, and Annie grabs it, a bit clumsily and Beth almost reaches out to snatch it back, worried about her sister breaking glass in her living room. 

She does manage to get it back to Beth in one piece, however, a dribble of liquid sloshing over the rim as she hands it off, splashing onto her hand, which she promptly licks off. 

“I...have always been cool.” Beth finally responds and Ruby snorts out a laugh, Annie giving into a fit of giggles not even a second later and Beth laughs too as she reaches out to swat at them both.

They’ve all had more than enough to drink by the time Stan, Rio, and the kids come back and Stan is gracious enough to send the younger kids off to bed while Rio ropes the older ones into helping clean up the downstairs and Beth wonders who’d she have to sell her soul to, to keep them both—just like this. 

She doesn’t realize she’s actually wondered it aloud, until the other women are echoing similar sentiments, and she glances around, seeing various looks of... _admiration_ on each face and she has to laugh, because jesus, what was it about capable domestic men that made women go absolutely feral? 

They send the older kids upstairs not long after and Stan takes a very sleepy Ruby off to what used to be Dean’s office, but now doubles as a guest room—or at least that’s the excuse they’d given for putting a bed in there when really it was just where Dean stayed the last few weeks Beth had actually let him in the house. 

Beth’s cleaning up the last of the dirty glasses when Rio comes into the kitchen, wordlessly stepping up beside her, taking the cups she rinses out and setting them into the dishwasher, and Beth looks out over the backyard, at the already bagged pile of leaves beside the picnic table, the last of the season. The ones that Kenny had volunteered to rake—that having to do in no small part, she thinks, with Rio. 

It’s fitting, she thinks, that the last few significant moments in this house would start and end with him. 

They finish up with the dishes and when Beth peeks out into the living room, Annie and Diane are sprawled out on either end of the couch, yelling at whatever reality show is currently playing on the television. 

And she’s just drunk enough to grab Rio’s hand and sneak him off down the hall and back into her bedroom. Just drunk enough to push him down on the bed and order him to stay before going into her closet and grabbing the devil horns she has stashed there, carefully arranging them on her head before stepping back out. 

"Trick or treat." And she can’t help the giggle that slips out as her nose crinkles up after she says it, feeling utterly ridiculous, but Rio doesn’t seem to mind, is grabbing her and flipping her onto the bed before she can even react, hand over her mouth to muffle the shriek she lets out. 

He keeps his hand there as he slides down her body, quieting her desperate moans as he yanks down her pants and underwear and gets to work on her with his mouth and his free hand. 

And then he’s replacing his hand with his mouth as he fucks into her, grinning against her lips as he reaches up and fingers the horns still on her head and Beth lets out a breathless laugh that turns into a loud gasp when he hits just the right spot and he’s shushing her and she’s biting down on her lip as he pushes her closer and closer and _closer_. 

It’s not until after, when they’re both cleaned up and dressed again and she’s curled up against his side that she asks, “What are we doing?” 

And she’s not asking for a commitment, really she’s _not_ , but she _is_ hoping for some sort of clarification at least. 

“We’re doin’ what feels good.” He says with a shrug of his shoulders, like it’s just that simple and really— 

Is it? 

“So...so just...sex then.” She says, hesitant and Rio shifts beside her, fingers coming up to nudge at her chin, forcing her to look at him. “This feel like just sex to you?” He asks, and his voice is gentle, but his touch is firm, keeping her where she is, not letting her escape. She shakes her head, not trusting her voice just yet. “You want it to be?” He asks, just as soft as before and Beth lets out a deep breath as she shakes her head again and he finally lets go of her, only to pull her into a rough kiss and she whimpers against his mouth. He lets out a low chuckle as he flips her onto her back again and settles himself between her legs. He doesn’t move to take it any further though, just kind of...melts into her, and Beth wraps her arms around him, scratching her nails lightly over the back of his head and neck and he shivers against her so she does it again, laughing when he bites at her breast in retaliation. 

The next morning they’re all gathered around for breakfast and making plans for Beth’s move out date at the end of the new month, Stan and Rio working out the logistics as Beth silently watches on, leaning into him for a brief moment before Jane pulls all of their attention her way when she declares that her and Marcus have officially adopted Milo and thus will be staying and living out in the garden with the small cat. 

Beth has to reassure her daughter several times that they will in fact be keeping the cat and taking it to the new place with them, much to the amusement of Rio, who is decidedly _less_ amused when Beth points out that he’s a grandparent now, as Marcus has partial custody. 

Jane is delighted by the idea of Rio as a grandparent to Milo, a prospect she had apparently never considered, but is now fully on board for. 

Beth turns away, hiding her laugh behind her coffee cup, as Jane dumps Milo on Rio’s lap and he scowls down at the cat. 

Her eyes catch one more time outside the kitchen window, across the backyard and she lets herself have one last brief moment of wistful echoes from the past, before turning away, and facing her future. 


End file.
